


Hit and Run

by creatrixanimi, RiaTheDreamer



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Child Neglect, Crack Treated Seriously, Drama, Family, Family Feels, Gen, Illustrated, Injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-16 13:25:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12343572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creatrixanimi/pseuds/creatrixanimi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiaTheDreamer/pseuds/RiaTheDreamer
Summary: An ordinary yet adrenalin-filled workday takes a twist and several lives get changed in the process.It’s been a long time since 479er felt steady ground beneath her feet. The Grif siblings, on the other hand, have never been in space before.





	1. Dexter Griff

“Status?”

“Power going off in three. Two. And-“

Right on cue the blinking lights turned dark on the mast she just flew by. The blackout spread to the rest of the building, quickly and noiseless. However, in the light of the late evening sun the lack of electricity was almost impossible to spot from the outside.

North continued through the radio, “-someone will be kicking their computer right now. See anyone rushing to the tower?”

“In this mist?” 479er had to snort, adjusting the controls without moving her eyes. “Hard to even see the tower.” She squinted, barely making out the contour of the slim control tower. Even with it being the only building left with power, its isolated location on the eastern coast of the small island made it difficult to notice. That was just another reason to keep a good eye out. “Staying low until extraction. Any estimated time or am I just waiting for something to explode?”

“I’d rather be out of here before anything goes kaboom. Illinois?”

A moment later the other Freelancer’s deep voice joined their channel. “I was asked to create a very big and very loud kaboom. Sadly, that also means we shouldn’t be here to witness it. With the elevators out, I need ‘least fifteen minutes to place the rest.”

“Copy that. I’ll keep the coast clear.”

479er snorted again, this time in amusement. “I thought that was my job,” she reminded North and continued her patrol around the island. The mist had kept her from being spotted so far, despite how close she stayed to the building. Not that it mattered in the end: should anyone spot her there was little they could do about it.

Ten minutes from now, if things went accordingly, this place would be smoking ruins. She was pretty sure the briefing file had described some sort of military laboratory: the most important focus being an unstable core Illinois had been charged with sabotaging.

Honestly, she’d only paid attention to the parts that actually played a role for her. Where to drop off the agents, where the designated extraction point was located, how many Freelancers she was supposed to bring back home and how long she was supposed to wait for their slow asses, just in case.

Since only North and Illinois had been assigned for this mission, it meant 479er had less troublesome Freelancers to put up with and therefore less bickering to worsen her headache. She regretted staying up late in order to look through the stats of the newest model she’d been promised, and at this point it was just the visor that kept her from constantly rubbing her eyes. The small number of passengers also allowed her to pilot a smaller ship, making her capable of sharper turns and smoother maneuvers.

It reminded her of her days as a newly titled pilot, only being trusted smaller, standard vehicles. Later she’d be in charge of bigger ships, armed with fancy guns and everything. Sophisticated stuff with a lot of buttons to press and that was all fun. Made it harder to do a flip, though.

Movement caught the corner of her eye when she dove out of a cloud of mist. A set of dull lights, moving quickly forward, and 479er quickly recognized it as a vehicle. It looked like a jeep, capable of moving through the sandy terrain with great speed.

And it was heading straight towards the tower.

479er kept her eyes on the target but refrained from revealing her presence by engaging any action. “North, did you happen set off an alarm again?” she asked, remembering the too many times she had tried being called in for an immediate escape after one of the agents had messed up. They didn’t always match those flawless reputations they had among the staff on the Mother of Invention.

Her radio turned online with North’s voice. It was slightly breathless. Probably done with another fight sequence, if she knew them right. “No power to trigger it. Guards know we’re here, though. Why?”

She grabbed the control handle just a bit tighter in preparation. “Vehicle spotted on the northern side, heading towards the tower. High speed.” Not only did the tower now have the only means of outside communication; it also functioned as the port and helipad. As the only way to get back to the mainland, it was the weak spot in their plan. North had claimed he’d spotted no movement in the area, but that was clearly changing. “I think you’ve been spotted.”

There was only a moment of hesitation from North’s end. “Coming in from the western building. I’ll try to cut him off.”

“Doubt you’ll make it with the speed he’s going.” She leaned forward in her seat to get a better view. The screen on her control panel focused on her target, marking it with a red square.

While this ship was not outfitted with guns, she knew she could stop him if she wanted to. She had the speed and handling to throw him off his path.

479er tapped a finger against the handle as she considered. Just for a moment – then she let the ship dive after him.

The mission was supposed to leave no witnesses. The explosion would take care of that little pesky detail. So she could reveal her presence in order to stop this attempt of either escaping or attempting to communicate with the outside world. Plus it was more of a challenge than flying around in circles.

Her sudden reveal threw the driver off enough to make the jeep steer abruptly to the left. But just for a moment.

Then he was back in full control. The jeep slowed down before turning away from its current path, allowing 479er to fly past him. Not that it made her give up the chase. She calmly adjusted the controlling handle to swerve back at him in an elegant arc.

Instead of heading down the beach towards his destination, the jeep had turned to drive between the buildings in an attempt to throw her off.

It didn’t work.

She went low enough to fly under a bridge, tilting the ship slightly to avoid letting the wings hit the sides of the buildings.

The jeep had increased its speed and started to swerve left and right as she tried to get in his way. All she needed was to get close enough and he was bound to make himself crash eventually in an attempt to avoid getting hit.

But it was taking longer than expected, and 479er found herself growing impres- no, _amused_ fit better, with the challenge. She smiled smugly as she anticipated him trying to throw her off by making a sharp turn around the upcoming corner.

She leaned forward in her seat, ready to follow him with ease.

And it would have worked – had it not been for the palm that suddenly came into view, standing just a bit too close to the building for her to swerve around it. The left wing smashed into it, the tree breaking with the pressure, and while she doubted it’d leave permanent damage, it throw her off balance, and with the ship too close to the ground she found herself too late to pull up.

“ _Are you kidding me?!_ ”

To be fair, 479er had suffered worse crashes. Much worse. And the island was even covered in sand which made for a soft landing as the ship finally skipped along the ground.

When it came to a stop the entire window was covered in a layer of sand. 479er stared at the golden cover for a second before slamming her fist against the control panel. “Goddamnit.” This was a beginner mistake, and a humiliating one at that. She was blaming the mist but she could not help but imagine the smug look on the driver’s face.

“I saw that,” North let her know, and just a moment afterwards he coughed awkwardly, apparently realizing the bluntness of his words.

She sent him a glare that she knew he could feel, despite them not being within each other’s vision. “Oh, you want to gloat about it? Let’s see how you’ll handle that maneuver-“

The rear hatch slowly fell down for her to step outside, and the feeling of sand beneath her boot was just odd. She was a pilot, made to fit in a cockpit and spend her remaining time walking around inside an even bigger spaceship. She could not remember the last time she had set foot on Earth.

“Uhm…” North backtracked and then his voice turned firm again as he switched back into mission-mode, “I’m lining him up – got him.”

From her location, she could hear the crash. At least the show-off had been dealt with. She let out a satisfied huff as she walked along the side of her ship until she reached the wing. Time to survey the damage, and she wasn’t in the mood for crossed fingers.

“I think we have a problem.”

As always, the Freelancers weren’t helping.

 “You _think_?” 479er hissed back at North. “Because I am witnessing one right now.” She brushed away pieces of wood and some few long leaves. It looked she’d hit a fucking palm tree, and that was just almost laughable. At least the damage was not severe; a lowkey dent and some scratches.

She should have stopped polishing her aircrafts the moment she joined Project Freelancer. At least they’d be able to take off with no problem – unless she jinxed it. There was always a chance for that to happen.

479er looked down and shook some sand of her boot. That was a feeling to get used to.

She heard North’s voice inside her helmet again. “Uhm, my problem requires some attention. Oh, shit.”

Normally the agents would save their chitchat until after the mission had been completed. Either North was trying (and failing) to butter her up for a future request, or he’d just messed up big time if he truly needed her help.

But his last exclamation was heartfelt enough for her to frown. “What?” she asked and started marching in the direction from where the crash had sounded. It required her to walk up a sandy hill, while constantly wiping her visor with a gloved hand in hope it would somehow fix her limited vision.

When she finally found North, she almost walked into him. How he had even managed to shoot something in this mist was a wonder. But she’d heard him talk about thermal scanners. Plus everyone knew North had the best aim.

In fact, it seemed to be a bit too good today. “Oh, goddamn it.” She watched him drag a limp figure out of the wreck that had once been a warthog-like vehicle. Smaller, but still more sturdy than a Mongoose. Well, everything was more sturdy than a Mongoose. Especially with Iowa around.

Judging from the back of the vehicle, it must have been used for transportation of smaller crates. The space was empty now, as he’d probably just tried to get to the tower in order to get away.

It was, judging by look of it, understandable.

“I shot a kid,” North muttered quietly in shock. He laid down the body in front of them, and 479er instinctively kneeled down next to him. The medical courses she’d been forced through took control of her eyes: heavy bleeding from the torso, presumably from a gun-shot wound, as well as several cuts decorating the face. Some pieces of glass were still stuck in the dark hair, and she reached out to remove them, fingers brushing against the bump that was definitely to blame for his unconscious state.

North pulled down the collar to check the pulse and his shoulders slumped in relief.

“He’s not a-“ But 479er cut herself off as she glanced at the bruised face with a tilted head. The blood and the swelling made him seem older at first, but at a closer look it was clear they were not dealing with an adult. Just a fucking kid, well, teenager, who was currently out cold and bleeding out. Just perfect.

She sighed heavily. “Well, fuck.” With her thumb, she forced the eyelid open but he remained unresponsive.

North had his hand pressed against the wound, talking frantically to himself, “You don’t shoot kids. Or dogs. Who does that?”

“And here you are blowing up an island, but who am I to judge,” she muttered back and watched as the dark fabric steadily grew red.

“Bad guys.”

That answer had her snorting, “Obviously, if they’re hiring goddamn kids.”

“This needs treatment,” North said shortly and proceeded to put his arms under his knees and armpits. He grunted as he hoisted him up. Despite his young age, the boy was heavy set.

In fact, had 479er been alone, she doubted she would have been able to move him. She was aware of her own lack of height. Not that it mattered when she was behind the control panel. She had other people move the heavy stuff. She was perfectly capable as she was. Things just tended to function better if she stayed inside a cockpit.

North had already begun to walk and the kid’s arm swung limply as he fastened his pace. 479er struggled to keep up. “Right,” she said, “Let’s dump him inside-“

“Bombs placed,” Illinois of course disturbed them through the radio. At least he was unaware of the situation – his timing was just horribly bad as always. “Can I order an extraction?”

“-the place you’re gonna blow up,” she finished her sentence with a sigh. Turing her head to glare at North, she told him, “You guys really make things easy for your surroundings.”

“What’s our time?” he asked the radio instead of replaying to her sarcasm.

 “Three minutes until blast. Don’t supposed you could swing by _E-Point A_? North, you gonna join me or do I just wait in loneliness? You know how I love company.”

“You can always ask the guards for a dance.” He grunted again as he readjusted the weight of the wounded teen. “Already in the ship. See you in a few.”

479er halted for a moment, staring straight ahead as she watched him enter her ship. She frowned. “What are we doing?”

“We got that medkit in the ship.”

“Did I mention you guys’ bad habit of bleeding in my seats? Not a fan of it.” They stepped inside, blood and sand spilling on the metal floor. She turned her head to stare at the stranger: though unconscious, he still seemed to be in a lot of pain. “You just had to look at his face.”

“I don’t suppose you want to leave him here.”

“I’m the pilot – you’re the ones killing people. Hey, I don’t deserve this guilt trip, don’t go putting this on me.”

“You are the one who spotted him in the first place.” They stepped inside the cockpit and North lowered him into the copilot’s seat. Despite the gentle motion, it still caused a groan. “Hang on, kiddo,” he told him soothingly and pulled the fabric away from the wound again.

479er threw the medkit at him. Perhaps the motion was a bit to forceful than necessary. “ _Oh,_ let’s bitch at me for doing my job. This is just what happens when I step on actual ground.”

As he began to apply the biofoam, the kid moaned loudly, twisting in the seat with his eyes closed. 479er placed herself behind the control panel and looked away. She didn’t count herself as squeamish, but she wasn’t a medic either. The agents had been banged up so many times by now, they had to at least know some procedures.

Hopefully North wouldn’t kill the kid by accident. 479er knew him well enough to know it would make him sob the entire way home.

Plus a dead kid was not something she wanted on her conscience.

Her plans also didn’t involve dying in an explosion, so she brought the ship to life. The familiar rumble was somewhat soothing, enough for her to let herself lean back in her seat. As they left the ground, the sand fell from the window.

They’d barely reached proper height before Illinois called them again, “Are you two making popcorn?” They could hear gunshots in the background.

“You wish.” She then shut off the radio before turning to North who was getting his gloves more bloody at the second, “Hold him steady.”

He looked up at her. “Wha-“

He almost fell over when the ship accelerated, speeding towards the extraction point as fast as possible. 479er smirked behind her helmet. The sudden rush cleared her head: for a moment she just focused on their vertical speed and incoming obstacles. Maneuvering smoothly around the corner of the construction, she prepared to land on the southern part of the manufactory. An aqua figure was waiting on the roof.

For this brief moment she’d almost forgotten about their bleeding passenger. She pressed a button so the door to the cockpit slammed shut before opening the hatch for Illinois to enter.

“He could use a healing unit,” North let her know. Too bad she had none of those stored away on this ship.

She shrugged. “Won’t be doing him any good if we don’t get out of the blast range.” The moment she was sure Illinois was onboard, she flipped a button and prepared for sudden takeoff.  “Hang on.”

Pulling down the lever as much as possible, she made sure they flew away from the island with as much speed as possible. Whatever Illinois had decided to mess up, it worked perfectly. When the countdown hit zero, she was able to feel just the last trace of the shockwave. Heavy explosives, of course, but that was only to be expected when dealing with Illinois.

She doubted the island looked pretty now, and with the distance to the mainland it would take too much precious time before any help could arrive. The kid should count himself lucky that North had decided to look at his face and bring him along. For now.

479er chewed her lip.

“Should be stable for a while,” North said with the kid breathing heavily next to him. “No bullet in there, so just a graze. Pretty heavy bleeding though.”

“Tha-“

There was a knocking on the metal door behind them. “Are you two holding a party in there? And why am I not invited?”

479er didn’t answer but instead blindly searched for the nearest glove compartment where she dug out a dirty rag. She threw it at North whose reflexes kicked in. He grabbed with ease.

“Deal with that.” She threw a hand back, pointing at the closed door with her thumb.

North tried to wipe the worst blood smears off his gloves before stepping out. The door was only open briefly before 479er pressed the button again. North found himself visor to visor with Illinois.

“You two having fun in there?”

North let out an amused huff and walked a few feet down the cramped space. He shrugged to brush off the subject. “Just a minor emergency. You know how that goes.”

“You know I do.”

“Are you wriggling your eyebrows behind your visor again?” North glared at Illinois for second before sighing and turning to rest his back against the wall. “Think everything went smoothly?”

Illinois placed himself in front of him. There were a few scratches in the aqua armor near his left shoulder, but obviously nothing alarming. He crossed his arms. “Should be blamed on an overheated core. A lot of sketchy stuff going on down there.”

“Yep. Real sketchy.”

“So accidents happen.”

“They sure do.”

Then they fell silent. North kept tapping his fingers against his armor plate on his upper arm, head turning towards the closed door every so often.

“Not how I remember it,” Illinois broke the silence with an uncharacteristically somber voice.

North looked at him again. “What?”

“Hawaii,” the other agent said. “That wasn’t really the place you would settle down on a sunbed. I don’t know – do explosions give you tan?”

After another gentle huff, North told him, “That’s probably a question for another day.”

Illinois nodded. “You hurt?” he asked and gestured towards the crimson spots that decorated the purple armor at the waist and down the legs.

“Yeah, uhm, stubbed a toe. Hang on a minute.”

North hurried to the door where he had to knock twice before he was let in. Inside the cockpit 479er was currently busy, just finishing a call through the ship’s radio. “Right. Roger that, Command.”

The kid was still out cold with the blood beginning to dry around the ugly bruises. North sighed as he crouched down next to him. “Don’t suppose there’s a nearby hospital we can-“

“Command wants us back in five,” 479er told him sharply. Her jaw was set as she stared straight ahead.

“Well… We could try telling them we’re late?”

“Sure,” she snorted bitterly, the stress causing her to handle the controls with jerky and harsh movements. “And a ship just appearing out of nowhere to drop off an injured teenager won’t be the cause of any unwanted attention. Make yourself useful and look for some identification.”

His uniform had been partly shredded during the wreck, not the mention the blood staining it, but North carefully patted the pockets until he found what he was looking for. It was tucked away safely inside a pocket in his vest. “Got a driver’s license,” he called out and proceeded to throw it at the pilot who grabbed it without turning her head.

As she held it in front of her visor, she looked it over with a frown. The age said 16, and the picture showed a teenage boy who didn’t smile to the camera. He was a native from the looks of it, with his dark hair pulled back. His set jaw and bags under his eyes made him look older than he probably was, but there was something in his big eyes that made her uncertain.

She’d never liked guessing ages, not after a growing up with people always assuming her years younger than her actual age. Just the pains of growing up as a scrawny kid.

His eyes stole her attention as it was a set of mismatched irises that stared back at her: one eye was brown, the other one a bright blue. She pushed aside that detail and instead focused on the overall quality of the bloodstained license. It didn’t speak in his favor.

“It’s fake,” she declared shortly and adjusted their current speed.

North looked up at her. “How would you-“

“I learned to tell. Wherever he got this from, he got it cheap.” She dropped it to the floor. “There’re two things where you should never go down on quality: jet engines and your illegal paperwork.”

 “I’ll have to take your word for that.” The kid reminded them of his presence again by groaning and North turned around to fuss over him again, gentle hands checking the wound. “Sorry, bud.”

479er felt a weird twinge in her gut as they entered the darkness of space. Strange – she’d never suffered from motion sickness. “You think he’s gonna make it?” she asked, mentally debating her choices.

“Biofoam’s working but that’s only temporary.”

She inhaled sharply. “This is definitely not a part of my job description.”

“Well, you’re doing it anyway.” From the way North said it, it almost sounded like a praise. They both looked out of the window towards the approaching Mother of Invention, and he asked, “You sure this is a good idea?”

“ _When_ did I say this was a good idea?” As she steered the ship into the landing bay, she narrowed her eyes as she came up with a stupid plan to fix this stupid situation. “Let’s call it a short-term solution, and not even a good one.”

479er looked down at the floor where the driver license was staring up at her. She couldn’t help but read the name again, a drop of blood almost erasing the last name.

_Dexter Griff_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know how to spell Grif’s name, don’t worry. It’ll serve it point later.
> 
> Okay, so how did we end here? Some weeks ago Creatrix and I discussed how Burnie had mentioned that Grif was originally going to be a driver doing the Freelancer fight scene in s9, and how it meant that Grif could have met the Freelancers early on. I think it originally started as a crack fic idea we just shared between the two of us – eventually the Grifs' age were turned down a bit for family feels, we both love 479er so she got a major role and the overall plot just grew from there (yeah, this might turn out to be my longest fic. We’ll see), and one morning I woke up to see Creatrixanimi’s amazing concept drawings (which is a very pleasant way to wake up, btw), and, well, I just knew I had to write this. And now I finally have this first chapter done.
> 
> So here I am, in new territory. I admit I am more than just a bit nervous writing the Freelancers for the first time. I’ll try my very best to get them right, but as always it’s a learning experience. We’ll get some characters I’m more familiar with later on… 
> 
> We're really excited to show you this au!


	2. Fast Car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 479er and North (sorta?) kidnap a kid.

“Are we sure this doesn’t qualify as kidnapping?”

She didn’t look away from the dials and controls as she focused on maneuvering the ship inside the landing bay as smoothly as possible. “I don’t know. Does it still count if you shoot him first?”

North let out a sound of misery.

“Listen.” She turned in her seat to send North a glare she knew he would feel through the visors. “You tell Illinois to give today’s mission report. Then you go fetch me a healing unit. _Don’t_ tell _anyone_ about this. For fuck’s sake, North, find yourself a good poker face for once.”

“What are you-?”

“Paint my nails – _what do you think I’m gonna do_? I’m keeping the kid alive, and requesting permission to return to Earth for a special supply order. Gonna take some lies but I can deal with the shit later. Tell the idiots out there to keep out of my ship. Just let them know the dials are acting up and I’m in my bitch mood. It’ll keep them away.”

North was pretty sure the tone she was using right now belonged to her so-called bitch mood but he knew better than to comment on it. If anything, he was grateful for someone taking charge of this _unusual_ situation. Now when the first layer of panic had begun to fade, the true realization of their current problem was beginning to sink in.

He nodded and waited for her to open the door so the plan could start. Illinois was waiting near the hatch, helmet off so North could actually see his smug grin.

He was wriggling his eyebrows, mouth opening to comment on the sudden secrecy, but North continued to walk past him, only stopping to pat his shoulder and quickly say, “Hey, do you mind doing the report today? Thanks, bud.”

Before any protests could be said North was already walking away, steps fast and firm. On his way out of the landing bay he walked past the couple of a mechanics who were on their way for the routine checkup of the vehicle after a mission.

“Eh, I’d wait for that if I were you,” he warned them. “Dials were acting up. She’s busy punching the control panel so you might want to let her cool down before heading inside. And knock, if you value your life.”

One of the workers groaned loudly. “Man, that was first supposed to happen next week. I had it marked in my calendar and everything.”

His partner painfully shoved an elbow into his side. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” she demanded to know, clearly offended.

“Well, uhm, it’s pretty obvious when you wome- Well, I just thought I might as well be prepared. _Ow_. C’mon, I had a snack bar ready for you last time, don’t be pissy ‘bout that.”

North sensed a job done and headed for the equipment room where he knew medical supplies were stored. Of course the optimal solution would be to contact the medic team, but they obviously had to deal with this case themselves. Maybe. In truth, he wasn’t quite sure what would happen if anyone discovered the half-dead kid.

But 479er seemed to have a pretty clear idea of it, and it didn’t seem to lead to anything good.

“What’s with the blood?”

“South.”

He turned around to find his sister near the door he’d just passed through, leaning calmly against the wall with her arms crossed. She wasn’t wearing her helmet, allowing him to see how she raised her eyebrows as she nodded towards the armor plates on his leg.

He looked down to realize he still hadn’t removed the remaining stains of blood.

“Things got messy without me?” she asked, sounding as confident as ever. “That’s a surprise.”

“It’s not mine so I can’t complain.”

His behavior must have been off, maybe he had turned away just a bit too quickly, because South tilted a head and said, “What? You’re not gonna ask me if I got in trouble without you?”

For the first time since the accident, his lips actually pulled upwards in the slightest smile. The helmet hid it, but it still counted. “I don’t think I need the answer for that.”

South snorted. “’least you got to punch some assholes today.”

North reached up to rub the back of his neck. It was hard not to think of his current unauthorized mission, and what the consequences would be if he didn’t return with the healing unit soon. “Yeah…”

And of course his sister picked up on every hesitant move of his. “What?”

“Eh, it’s nothing.”

“Right.” She glared at him through her bangs that was swaying slightly after her loud snort of disbelief. “Hey, North, next time you lie to me, at least put some effort into. I’m starting to feel offended.”

Knowing it was only a matter of time before South would grow inpatient and try to force the truth out of him, like she had done so many times in their childhood, North already began to back away. “I’ll talk to you later about it. Gotta go.”

“I’m starting to think you’re hiding a bullet up your ass,” she called after him. At least she stayed where she was. He could only deal with that many headaches at a time.

“If only,” North said and wished things were that simple.

* * *

479er was checking the applied biofoam when he returned, healing unit in his hands. He hoped but doubted his little delivery had gone unnoticed by workers and cameras. But as long as the enhancement worked, he could worry about the rest of their troubles later.

“I bet you haven’t earned the score of being the fastest Freelancer. Took you long enough,” she said and snatched it from him. She activated it near the kid who only twisted his body the slightest in response.

She moved back to sit in the pilot seat while he kneeled next to patient. The cushion he was lying on had become rather bloody. Rinse with cold water, a voice in the back of North’s head reminded him, but chances were 479er already knew that trick. At least such knowledge would be useful with a job like this.

“Any changes while I was gone?” he asked. While the kid was not awake, at least he seemed to have some color in his cheeks. Or maybe North was just getting hopeful.

“He started talking a bit.”

North blinked in surprised. “Really?”

479er nodded briefly, crossing her legs. “Kept muttering about his sister.”

Something cold and familiar and unwelcome settled in North’s stomach. “Oh no.” He looked down at him again, and while the face was still lax the gashes had begun to get scabs.

“He didn’t bother to open his eyes though.” She picked up the package of painkillers he’d managed to bring along as well. “These will come in handy.” Shifting in her seat, she removed her helmet and placed it on the control panel. She brushed some hair away from her forehead before glancing towards North. “You know we can’t keep anything a secret in this place, right?”

“And here I hoped you were the hopeful one.”

“I should be getting the clear to head out later tonight. You keep your mouth shut until then, at least he’ll be fine.” She sighed and stretched herself, arms over her head. “So how do you think the guys will react?”

“South’s not a fan of kids.”

“Your sister is the least of our trouble. Don’t think grabbing the kid is the standard procedure.”

“They did order no witnesses.”

“Sucks to be a witness then.” She sighed, reaching up to rub her eyes and ended up with a bloody smear on her cheek. She grimaced as she looked at her bloodstained gloves. “Not like the big boss would kill a kid here. But covering this up will be a pain. Let’s hope you managed to give the kid amnesia.”

“I’m crossing my fingers for no head trauma.”

She snorted at that comment and exhaled softly before saying, “You should go. No one spends their evening cramped inside my ship. Might as well keep the suspicion down when you have the chance.”

He stood up, body aching from the day’s events. “Right.” After a brief glance at the limp kid, he met her stare. “You keep in touch if things take a turn for the worse? Or better – I’d prefer good news, actually.”

479er nodded before slipping her helmet back on so he would be able to radio her later. She was tapping the side of it with a bloody finger. “Today’s been fun.” She sighed. “And it’s not over yet.”

North sent them both a final glance before walking out of the ship.

* * *

“We need to talk.”

North heard his sister’s voice, froze and knew the time was up. He shouldn’t be surprised. She was his twin, after all. She’d been suspicious even before he’d returned to 479er.

He’d thought himself safe as he ate his late dinner alone but then South appeared out of seemingly nowhere, knocking his tray away to sit on the table.

“Ooh no,” he sighed. “About what?”

South was looking smug with a glint in her eyes that told him she was going to enjoy this. _Ooh no_ indeed. She crossed her legs, swinging her foot close enough that North had to lean away for a moment. “We need to have a good, long talk about 479er’s sexuality, brother.”

“Oh.” North blinked, running a hand across his forehead. That was unexpected. Almost relieving but not quite. “Should I be worried?” he asked with a slight smile. He thought of 479er and the kid, and figured that at least this way they would be left alone a little longer.

“Embarrassed if anything,” his sister snorted. “Take a seat,” she told him, apparently oblivious to the fact he was already sitting down.

Despite it being a sort of relief, the unexpected subject was making him frown. “Why are you-“

“Illinois told me you were trying to snuggle with the pilot in the cockpit.”

His sister was smiling. And while he loved her smile more than anything, it usually didn’t mean anything good. He returned the smile while keeping his posture relaxed. “You know Illinois’ tales are always greater than they should be.”

She rolled her eyes. “Wouldn’t put it past you to fall for women out of your league, dear confused brother. So leave it to me to break your heart. She’s not interested.”

“I-“

He had apparently not run out of bad luck yet. Of course he was cut off by York and Wyoming passing through the hall, changing their paths slightly when they spotted their comrades. North resisted the urge to slam his hand against his face as they came to stand by their table.

“Are we walking in on a meeting?” York asked in amusement, looking at the two of them.

“Sure,” South replied, tilting her head. “About 479er’s sexual orientation.”

North groaned.

York raised his eyebrows in surprise while Wyoming leaned his head back to laugh shortly. “Sounds interesting. Are there by chance any slides?” His laughter died into a cough the moment South sent him her famous furious glare. “I’ll be on my way now.” He quickly excused himself, backing out of the room before she could properly react on his comment.

York stayed where he was, glancing from one twin to the other. “I see I’ve missed something.”

North sighed again – he’d done that a lot this day. “Illinois started a rumor. You know how it goes.”

“And you aren’t helping yourself by sneaking back in the landing bay,” South snorted before glancing up at their friend. “Just keeping my brother from chasing after girls who also happen to chase after girls.”

York laughed gently as he patted North’s shoulder in sympathy. “You need a boys’ night out.”

Raising an eyebrow, North looked up at him with a smile as sly as South’s. “I suppose _you_ don’t.”

York calmly sat down next to him. “You know me: I’m busy with work.”

South snorted loudly. “Doesn’t help him out,” she said while pointing at her brother with her thumb.

Despite the relaxed and amused atmosphere, North could not ignore it was at the cost of his pride. “I sense this is going to be a painful conversation,” he mused out loud, wondering how long this subject could last.

“Blame yourself,” his sister told him.

North huffed. Yeah, he should be blaming himself for quite a lot right now.

* * *

The moment 479er got the go-ahead, the kid began to stir. He seemed to always have quite the timing, whether it was good or bad. She moved away from the control panel to get a better look.

“Hey.” She shook his shoulder. “Wake up.” When he continued to murmur nonsense sleepily, she remembered the name from the driver’s license. Or what was supposed to be a driver’s license, anyway. “Dexter? Dexter Griff?”

Finally he opened his eyes into slits. “Mmmf?” He blinked, pupils adjusting in size as he struggled to focus on her. The photo had been correct at least: the irises were mismatched in colors. “ _Fuuuuhk_ ,” he finally said, and she had to snort at that being his first coherent word.

She snapped her fingers in front of his bruised face as she sensed him drifting off again. “You with me? I need your address now, kid. Can’t trust anything on that kiddie diploma you call a license.”

His eyes widened, definitely seeing her now, and his mouth even fell open but no sound left it. It just kept opening and closing, like a fish dying on dry land.

She sighed and adjusted her stance so she was kneeling in a more comfortable position right in front of him. “Work with me, kid.”

He closed his eyes again but managed to mumble, “Notakid.”

479er released a breath of relief. The healing unit seemed to have worked as it should. She was no longer dealing with a dying kid, just an injured one that needed to be dropped off. “Great, you can talk. Say your name for me,” she encouraged him.

“Dexshh…” He blinked slowly, apparently fighting a great battle against a lazy tongue. “Grif.”

When his gaze turned bleary, she reached out to slap his cheek somewhat gently. She didn’t use not force to leave a mark, at least. His eyes turned focused again as he glared at her in annoyance.

“Spell it for me,” she ordered.

With a frown he hesitated, apparently considering whether it would be worth the effort. But finally he did was he was told, slowly and not without trouble. “D. E. X. T. E. R.”

479er nodded. “Good. Continue.”

“G. R. I. F.”

“Forgot an F but I’ll take it.”

He started to turn in his seat. “You’re giving me an F?” he asked, sounding confused and a tiny bit alarmed. A moment after he winched when he pulled the skin near his wound.

“Not a teacher,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, putting a hand on his shoulder to keep him still. Gods, teacher might be the last thing she’d dreamed of as a child. It had always been about the skies, even back then. Teaching ungrateful kids didn’t exactly give her the freedom of space. She would never have fought that hard just to end up behind a desk.

He was quiet for a moment before asking, “Cop?”

A smart kid, then. With her armor and behavior it was a good guess. “Yeah, let’s go with that,” she said, knowing that lie would bring her a long way when she had to start explaining his situation. She’d just finished her sentence when she noticed the kid was now deadly pale despite his dark complexion, almost as bad as when he’d been bleeding out. “Ah, fuck. Don’t faint on me.”

She slapped him again until he regained some color in his cheeks. He glared at her for a moment but then his expression turned softer until it became a puzzled frown. “My tongue’s weird,” he said very clearly and looked at her for confirmation.

“I’d bet. We pumped you full of sedatives.”

His frown grew to the point she feared he’d reopen one of the gashes on his forehead. “I crashed?” he finally asked, tilting his head to look at his bandaged torso.

“Yeah.” That was technically the truth. No need to mention the gunshot. They had, after all, pulled him out of a wrecked vehicle. “Yep. You crashed.”

He thought about that for a moment. Then: “Fuck.”

“Exactly.” She slapped her knee, deciding it had been enough chit chat. No reason to waste more time. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she’d have less worries to deal with. She just hoped she’d still have her job after all this. “Just give me your address and I’ll drop you off.”

Suddenly he looked completely awake, at least coherent enough to push himself up in his seat. “I gotta go home,” he said, voice urgent and alarmed.

“Not disagreeing on that.” She leaned slightly backwards, unsure of whether to push him down or help him up.

He was grabbing for something neither of them could see in his attempt to stand. He just ended up as a pathetic, squirming bundle in his bloodstained seat. But he seemed unaware of this, never easing his struggling. “It’s okay. I can walk. You don’t hafta-“

She kept himself from laughing. “Oh, trust me; you _can’t_ walk home from here.”

“My leg’s fine, it’s no big deal-“

“Yeah, tell me that when you’re not drooling from your mouth.”

He froze, realizing she was right. Gingerly reaching up to wipe the drool away from with the back of his hand, he kept his glance lowered.

At least the painkillers were working.

479er almost jumped in surprise when North’s voice appeared inside her helmet. “Uhm, I just got called to an immediate meeting about today’s mission.” He sounded unsure but alarmed.

She pushed the button on the side of her helmet to reply. “When?” she asked, standing up to look out of the ship’s windows to see if anyone was actually heading for her already.

“Now.”

“Ah, shit.” She didn’t need to wonder what the meeting was going to be about. Right now she just had to be away from the mother ship before she’d be called in too. “I’ll be heading out then.”

“Good luck.”

“You too.” She turned to find the kid busy fiddling with his bandages. “Alright, kid, buckle up.”

He looked up, apparently having forgotten her presence for a moment. “What?”

Before he could protest – or attempt to do so with his weakened limbs – she put the seatbelts in place around him, keeping him tightly but comfortably pressed against the seat. He opened his mouth but didn’t really find the words to ask her what was going on.

479er quickly returned to her own seat, bringing the ship to life with the push of a button. “This is 479er heading out. Please clear for takeoff.” She mentally hoped her lie about the unexpected but critical supply extraction still worked. It’d been easy enough to make the order seem convincing; it all required some big words and her usual confidence. Hell, she’d bet she could convince them she was picking up headlight fluid if she was in the mood.

Apparently it did since the hatch began to open. It all happened to slowly for her taste. She kept tapping her fingers against the control handle, waiting for the moment her name would be called over the radio, asking for her to face the top bosses, to explain herself and the situation and tell them what the fuck she’d been thinking-

The ship finally left the bay and when 479er was surrounded by the darkness of space she let out a huge breath of relief. For a moment she let herself forget about memories and past guilts and current responsibilities, and just focus on the handle in her hand and the freedom in front of her.

“This is a strange car,” the kid mused loudly, looking around with confused but amazed eyes.

479er couldn’t help but snort in amusement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I find it rather funny one of the first thing we established about this AU was that Niner was gay. Definitely.
> 
> And so we’ve dug a little bit further into the plot with this chapter, as well as some first appearances of some smaller OC that will be introduced more properly later. But there are so much more to come (man, this fic is gonna be long) and we’re very excited to show it all to you. And thank you so much for all your support on the first chapter. Creatrixanimi, say hi.
> 
> Creatrixanimi: "Hi. I hope you like my shitty drawings."
> 
> Ria: "Don’t you dare to call your masterpieces shitty."
> 
> *friendly fist fight occurs*
> 
>  
> 
> Also check out Creatrixanimi’s amazing drawing of Illinois here! . (also adding the actual link since technology hates me: http://creatrixanimi.tumblr.com/post/167111373782/ya-know-i-dont-think-ive-actually-seen-any-art )


	3. The Siblings

The kid was so mesmerized by the stars that 479er had to snap her fingers several times before she gained his attention. Even then it took her numerous tries before she finally managed to get an address from him. He’d changed subject every time, talking about the roadwork near his school or how the colors kept spinning.

Eventually she’d mentioned how his family must want him home as quickly as possible (and so did she, to be honest) and he’d grudgingly given her a street name.

“Which part of the city?”

“The grey part?” he said, voice unsure. He kept staring out of the window.

She’d hoped for a direction, usually either north or south or west or east, but sure, let’s go with color coding. “Grey?”

He shifted in his seat again, fingers reaching the bandage she kept telling him not to play with. “Outskirts.”

“Oh.”

So the slum. A pretty way of saying it, at least. 479er knew how it worked, and she knew which words to use when you were aiming for being discreet.

She wasn’t trying to pry… Well, she _was_. But she couldn’t really be blamed for trying to figure out how a damn teenager had ended in her path.  “So… You were working as a driver?”

He shrugged and continued to stare out of the window. “Just helped move stuff.”

“ _Stuff_?”

“Yeah. Stuff.”

While he obviously didn’t want to talk more about it for, well, understandable reason, 479er readjusted her grip on the handle and pressed the matter further. “And the stuff happened to be in a car. Did they know your license was fake?”’

He froze, winching as he pulled the wound again. “It’s not-“

“Please,” she snorted and rolled her eyes. Not much further now. “How much did you spend on it? Ten bucks?”

He opened his mouth to defend himself. “Fifty-“ And he immediately shut up, realizing his mistake. 479er could hardly blame him, knowing how painkillers made your tongue loose. And in this scenario, it was probably to her advantage.

Understanding he’d already revealed himself, he continued in a grumble, “Stupid crap didn’t even get my name right. Can I sue them?”

“I wouldn’t.” From her experiences, it would be best for him to just stay out of the shady business for now. It would hardly be a good idea for him to rat out whoever he’d bought the crap from. “You know quality usually comes with a price, right? How much did they pay you for working illegally?”

“Totally legal,” he corrected her immediately.

She inhaled slowly. “Aha.”

He must have sensed her sarcastic tone, not that she’d tried to hide it, as he continued to explain, “I work, they pay. Totally… legally normal.”

“Don’t suppose you have any insurance?”

He fell quiet at that question, turning his head away from her to look into the darkness instead. She understood his answer. For half a minute or so they were quiet, until he suddenly furrowed his brows and said, “You should turn on your headlight.”

“What?” It wasn’t often that people would dare to comment on her flying, and this certainly was a comment she hadn’t expected. Mainly because the ship didn’t exactly have headlights.

“Can’t see the road.” He blinked heavily as the realization once again crept up on him. She wondered for how long he’d be debating whether this was a dream or not. “Holy fuck, we’re in space.”

“That was fast,” she said and chuckled slightly.

The kid was silent for a moment, apparently trying to figure out what to do with this new piece of information. “Why are we in space?” he finally demanded to know.

“Hey, I’m the one asking the question.”

He glared at her as if she’d grown a new head. “Holy fuck, you’re a space cop.” He slammed the back of his head against his seat, groaning. “Uhm, how the fucking far did I crash?”

“Language,” she reminded him, mainly just because she could. It wasn’t often she was in a position to annoy a teen like this. It was perhaps a bit too satisfying to see him narrow his eyes at her. “Well, not to worry, kid. I’m bringing you home so no need to ask any more questions.”

He frowned. “You know, I think I might be asleep.”

“You do?”

“Mmmhhh.” He nodded slowly. “And you’re just that mean cop in my dream trying to scare me.”

After checking her coordinates, she raised an eyebrow at that comment. “Man, you picked me as the bad cop? Here I am, bandaging you and getting you home, and you think I am mean? That’s offensive, kid.”

His mismatched eyes remained narrowed. “Are we really in space?”

“Yeah, you- you do not look good. Na-ah, no puking in my ship!” After noticing how his dark skin had started to pale, she immediately reached for a bucket to throw it near his seat. “And I thought dealing with Wash was enough…”

When he’d finally emptied his stomach, wiping some puke-water away with the back of his hand, he looked up at her with a pained expression. “Did the hospital give you a bill or-“

“Don’t think about that,” she said quickly.

He kept staring at her. “That isn’t an answer.”

“Alright, I’ll give you one. _No_. There’s no bill, so just focus on puking in a straight line, okay?”

He finally did what he was told.

Once she felt it was safe enough to move the bucket to a corner of the ship where she couldn’t smell it, she tried to pick up the conversation. “So, how do your parents think about you breaking the law?”

“It’s a job. _Was_ a job.” His expression turned distant, and she guessed he was thinking back of the accident. She wondered how much he remembered, if he’d been aware the base had been attacked. She’d hoped he wasn’t aware it had ended in an explosion. “Holy fuck.”

They were close enough for her to see the lights of the buildings now. With her small ship, she hoped they’d only think it was some sort of regular transport. Well, she wouldn’t stay here for long, in case trouble arrived.

“Alright, I’m landing.” It wasn’t the easiest task, somehow maneuvering around the buildings to find an empty spot to land. She ended up picking what had apparently been a parking lot once. She looked out of the window, noticing the old-looking apartment buildings with broken windows, some just covered with wooden plates. The area seemed barren, with only a single lamplight illuminating the path.

The outskirt, indeed. The actual city was heavy patrolled by the military, from what she’d heard. Illinois kept lamenting on the lost glory of Hawaii. He missed the beaches.

She didn’t feel like leaving her ship here for long.  “You lead the way, kid,” she said as she unclasped the safety belts.

He frowned. “You said you were gonna drop me off?”

“What?” 479er snorted. “Did you expect a goddamn parachute?” While they would indeed be a stealthier maneuver to pull off, she knew he would never have been able to succeed the landing. She wasn’t transporting a Freelancer, after all. For once.

“No. S’not… Whatever.” He tried to leave his seat, legs shaking. He ended up supporting himself with a hand on the control panel. “But, ya know, thanks. I’ll be sure to keep out of trouble.”

His voice was rushed, yet he managed to keep it in a calm, casual tone. In a relaxed fashion he moved a step forward, and she pretended not to see him quickly stuffing the stained license in his back pocket.

“Really?” she said and rolled her eyes. This was all just proof that he would most definitely get in trouble again soon. Not that she could blame him. She was starting to see the bigger picture here.

He nodded. “Keep my nose clean, get straight drugs, don’t do A’s – _wait_.” With narrowed eyes, he seemed to realize his tongue was still acting against him. She choked a laugh at his puzzled expression. He blinked a couple of times before trying to walk out of the ship. “I’ll be… I’ll go home now. Thanks.”

“You’re quick on your feet,” she noted. It was almost true. He was truly trying to get out of here as fast as he could, but he ended up leaning awkwardly against the wall, obviously dizzy.

He looked over his shoulder to see if she was being ironic. “It’s fine. Home is just around the corner.”

“Nearby then,” 479er concluded. “How about you stay here, and I’ll just take a look?”

“Wha-“

She pushed the button which caused the hatch the slowly close, but managed to jump out before she was trapped inside the ship with him. She faintly heard him yell what sounded like a curse at her, but she quickly moved forward.

It took some time to find the right building, but eventually she found the word _GRIF_ written with letters that were half-faded away on a mailbox that didn’t seem able to close. She walked up a narrow staircase, the steps decorated with broken glass from a bottle. She knocked twice, receiving no answer, and stepped inside.

Later she’d probably blame North for putting the idea in her head. The whole being responsible and don’t turn away from a kid in need thing. She didn’t ask for the gnawing guilt in her stomach.

But she recognized too many of the signs, the familiarity in some of the defensive excuses. So she needed to be sure.

The apartment was dark, which was just another step in a shitty direction. If nobody was home, she didn’t know just where to put the kid. That wound needed treatment, daily, and that required someone to look after him.

She turned on the light to stare at what seemed to be a trashed living room.

And then something hard and painful smashed against her arm.

“What the hell?” she asked, rubbing the now sore spot on her own.

479er wasn’t quite sure what she’d been expecting – maybe a thief or an angry mother – but she certainly hadn’t expected a tiny kid with a snarling expression wielding a lamppost as a weapon.

“Go away!” she yelled at her, preparing the lamp like a baseball bat. “I’m not home!”

She blinked. “What-“

“You’re not welcome!” Despite her small size, the kid used all her weight as she started pushing 479er towards the door. The pilot looked down to see a mess of dark, tangled hair. “Gooooo!”

She firmly planted her heels in the wooden floor. “I’m just-“ She scowled when the lamp hit her again. “Alright. Stop it.” She reached out to confiscate it, and the kid jumped some steps backwards. She was younger than the brother, probably some years. This kid was 10, maybe 12? The pilot had a hard time judging it; she wasn’t used to being around children.

Two big, brown eyes looked up at her. “Are you a cop?”

Well, that seemed to be a common question these days, didn’t it? “No.”

“Oh.” The kid’s stance seemed to relax, going from defensive to curious. “That’s why your costume is all weird.”

“I-“

The girl tilted her head. “Is it fake?” She was wearing an orange t-shirt far too large for her.

“Wha-“

“’cause Halloween was like last month and I was gonna dress like a cop but Dex said-“

“You are Dexter’s sister?” When the girl nodded, 479er fought against the urge to sigh. She’d crossed her fingers he’d been talking about an older sibling that could take care of him. But her bad luck seemed to follow her. “Of course you are.”

The girl froze like a statue when her brother’s name was mentioned. “Is he in trouble?”

479er raised an eyebrow. “Is he in trouble a lot?”

“Nah, he’s good,” she let her know with pride in her voice. “Is he with you?”

“Yep. Can I talk to your mother for a second?” she asked despite already having guessed the answer. Judging from the look of the room, she doubted a responsible adult had been here for a while. It still reminded her of a robbery; the couch knocked over, the tv screen smashed.

The girl bit her lip. “She’s working.”

“Oh,” 479er said, looking away for a moment.

“Can I see Dex?”

It was hard to disappoint to hopeful voice but 479er could live with that guilt. “When is your mother coming home?” she asked instead. “…And just _what_ happened here?”

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” the kid said with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. Yeah, they were definitely siblings. They looked a lot like each other, especially when grumpy.

479er placed her hands on her hips. “Well, if you were robbed you should just tell the cop.”

“But you’re not a cop,” she pointed out, smacking her lips.

“I can still beat up bad guys.”

“ _Nice_.” Her eyes were sparkling at this point, obviously amazed. “Just kick them in the jingle bells, right?”

Once again 479er had to blink in surprise. “What?”

“Where’s Dex?” she asked in a demanding tone, as if she was about to force the pilot to take her to her brother.

“How about I’m the one who-“

“DEX!” she suddenly screamed so loudly that 479er had to resist the urge to cover her ears.

She spun around the see the teen limping his way inside, leaning against the wall. She narrowed her eyes and wondered just how he’d managed to open the ship.

When his sister jumped into his embrace, he slowly slid down the wall. “Hey, Kai.”

“You stupid jerk! You- you stupidhead, you’re late, and you said- Fake news! I knew it! Feeding us lies!” she howled happily. “They said you’re all dead but I knew you wouldn’t do that, so they lied! The TV broke, by the way, but it still sparkles. What happened to your face?”

Her tone become soft when she noticed the bandages, and she carefully reached out to touch them. “Dex?”

It sounded like she was about to cry, and 479er was really not feeling like dealing with that.

“M’fine,” he said, but she noticed the paleness had returned to his face again.

“Okay, let’s have a look at that,” she said and grabbed his arm to guide him towards the couch. He was biting his lip as she slowly lowered him down. She touched the now bloodstained bandage around his torso. “This needs to be changed. Daily. Where’s your mom?” she demanded to know.

“Family visit,” he told her, eyes closed and breathing in through his nose. “For the weekend.”

479er wondered if she should tell him it was the middle of the week, but his sister had already come up with a lie contradicting his story. Not that he knew that.

The girl was tugging his sleeve, no longer staring at 479er. “You’re not dying,” she told him firmly.

“Of course not.”

“Then stop bleeding on the couch.”

“Hey, kid, can you fetch me some paper?” 479er asked to keep the girl busy. After she’d retreated to the kitchen, the pilot looked down at the brother and began to readjust the bandage. “So what happened to staying in the ship?” she said, trying to figure out if the wound needed more biofoam.

“We live here,” he reminded her sourly.

Yeah. And that was the whole problem right now.

479er was forced back a sigh when someone gently poked her back. The girl handed her a roll of toilet paper while introducing herself. “My name’s Kai.”

“Hi.”

“What’s your name?”

She considered for a moment but then decided the harm had already been done. “479er.”

The girl, _Kai_ , tilted her head. “Is that a strip name?”

“ _Kai_ ,” her brother hissed from the couch.

She continued anyway, “’cause mom had one but she wouldn’t tell me.”

“ _Kai_!” He slammed the back of his head against the pillow. “Jesus Christ.”

“It’s not a strip name, thank you very much,” 479er grumbled.

“…Did your mother name you after numbers?”

“I-“

“Was she a _nerd_?”

“479er is my codename. Works like a nickname but it’s much cooler. You got that?”

The kid nodded eagerly. “Then what’s your real name?”

“Just leave her alone, Kai,” he groaned tiredly from the couch. It looked like he struggled to keep his eyes open, and she could hardly blame him for that. “She’ll be going now.”

“Hey, since when did you become my boss?” she demanded to know, fingers getting bloody as she tried to stop the new bleeding. If he’d just stayed put like she’d ordered him too he wouldn’t have put strain on the healing wound, but oh no, kids always had to be idiots. Reminded her of the Freelancers, actually. “I’m not going yet.”

“ _Why_?”

She added some pressure on the wound, causing him to yelp. “ _Because_ I, unfortunately, have too much of a conscience to leave you guys by yourselves. Which, apparently, sucks for all of us. So I’m going to ask you one last time, if there’s anyone looking out for you? I could just take you to a hospital because if left untreated, you can get yourself an infection, and, trust me, that’s nasty business and-“

“Stop scaring her.”

479er glanced at the girl who looked like she was only some seconds away from tears. She was clutching her brother’s hand tightly.

“We’ll be fine,” he insisted, winching only slightly. “Just go.” 

* * *

“Of all the things we’re not allowed to do, you chose to kidnap a child?” York asked him in a tone that was more amused than disappointed.

It was a nice change, seeing how North had just survived an hour long meeting about why picking up civilians with no further notice was not acceptable.

To say that North was tired was an understatement but at least he seemed to have finally lived through the rest of the aftermath – unpleased bosses and dying kids and everything in between.

He sat down in front of his teammate with a low groan. “To be fair – we did return him.” The rest of the ship had to be asleep by now, and North suspected his friend was only awake because of the curiosity the rumors had spiked. If he was lucky, the rest of his team would first hear about the story tomorrow when his head was more clear and he probably had better answers for them all.

York suddenly laughed softly, looking down into his mug of coffee. “Do you even remember the time Wash tried to sneak a cat onboard?”

Fond memories of the _Chase for the Pussy_ , as the accident had been named by certain Freelancers, caused North to smile. “I remember.” A disappointed Wash had been left with only a litter box as a memory while a family back on Earth had received a new family member.

“And you thought you could pull it off with a kid?”

“At least it all ended well.”

York tilted his head. “I’m curious – _how_ did they even word that scolding? Stop picking up strays? Try to refrain from shooting children from now on?”

In truth, the reminder he’d received about the facility’s rules had been a bit more harsher than that, but York got the main points. “To my defense, we were told to take care of witnesses.”

“You just put emphasis on the ‘care’ part.”

After they’d finished their cups of coffee, North knew the clock was telling him to earn some hours of sleep before morning training, but he ended up walking to the landing bay instead.

479er’s ship was there, and since the hatch was still open he dared to walk inside. But it was empty with the bloodstained seats as a reminder of what had happened. He wondered if she had been called in for the same meeting he’d suffered through. He’d hoped she would be able to avoid that, seeing how he’d made sure to explain that it had been his decision.

But as he stepped outside again, ready to finally head to his quarters, he suddenly saw the pilot in the other end of the room. She was heading inside a larger ship, isolated in the far end of the bay, and North did not remember ever entering it before.

479er didn’t seem to notice him, which forced him to jump inside the ship before she could close the hatch.

 “Hey,” he said, holding up a hand. “Just wanted to let you know I talked things through with the big bosses and it was all my fault.”

For a moment she seemed tense at his presence but then her shoulders relaxed again. She put down two trays of dinners on a nearby table. He could hardly blame her for that – he knew she’d skipped eating this evening in order to deal with the situation.

“I bet you didn’t exactly get a raise?” she snorted, resting her back against a wall.

“I didn’t get fired either, so I’d say it went well.”

“Did they happen to mention me in your little heart-to-heart?” She managed to keep her voice casual though North knew the question was of importance.

He sent her a small smile. “Don’t worry: I made sure they know I was the one who started this whole thing. And that you were the one who came with the solution.”

“Right.”

She was quiet, looking at her gloves.

Reaching up the rub the back of his neck, North tried to break the sudden silence. “How did the drop-off go, by the way?” He’d assumed the mission was successful, seeing how the kid was gone, but he’d wondered if she’d met any more obstacles in her way. He could imagine the parents did not react so well to being handed a kid with a bullet wound.

“Well.” She sighed. “Less eventful than when we picked him up.”

North could hardly imagine something more eventful than sniping a kid and then blowing up the entire island. “That’s not saying much. Was he happy to be home?”

“His sister seemed pretty excited to get him back.”

The Freelancer breathed in deeply. “That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

A sudden noise, something metal hitting the floor followed by a yelp, caused North to freeze. He turned around to stare at the door behind 479er that had remained closed during their entire conversation.

He stepped towards it.

The pilot did not attempt to stop him. Instead she fell into the pilot seat in a tired motion, and she warned him, “You could save yourself a lot of trouble in your life and not open that door.”

North opened the door, and two set of widened eyes stared back at him.

“…Why’s there two of them?”


	4. Knock Knock

“I told you not to open the door,” 479er said with a shrug as North turned around to stare at her with widened eyes.

“This is not the plan,” he said, still staring at the stowaways. “This is the opposite of the plan.”

“Well, sometimes the plan goes to shit and you have to improvise. You’ll learn that when trying to navigate through a meteor shower. Talk about improvising.”

North sighed very deeply and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d prefer the meteor shower.”

“Who’s that guy?” the teen asked, eyes narrowed as he stared at North. The sister was behind him, tilting her head in curiosity. She’d fallen asleep on their way back, after having talked about the stars with more enthusiasm than 479er had ever heard before.

It was her brother who’d eventually convinced her that they were actually in space, though he’d sounded way less excited about it. He’d ended up dozing off as well though 479er suspected that was due to the painkillers.

He’d only been blinking tiredly when she’d shoved them from one ship to another, the sister grabbing his hand tightly as 479er had quickly led them across the landing bay. The sleep had fled from his eyes, though, when she’d offered to bring them food.

She reached over to pick up the trays she’d taken from the kitchen, pushing North aside so she could face them. “Here,” she said, pushing them into Dexter’s hands. He studied the bowl of rice and meatballs before muttering a quiet ‘ _thanks’_ and handing one of the trays to his sister. “This is my stupid friend Agent North, and I need to have a talk to him while you eat.”

“Hello,” the girl said, and then 479er closed the door before the conversation could continue. No need to stress out North further before she’d had the time to explain herself.

North seemed to silently fall into the nearest chair, running a hand across his face before looking up at her. He clearly demanded an explanation without saying anything.

“So,” she began, “I may have panicked.” Understatement of the year right there.

He groaned quietly. “Bringing him here was a bad idea. Bringing them both here is somehow even worse.”

She knew that. That was perhaps the worst part of it all. But… “Look, there are no parents in the picture. I couldn’t just drop him off. Well, I _could_ , but then there’s all the moral stuff and ethics to consider, and those eyes were giving me a guilt trip, North.”

“He still looks like you beat him up,” he muttered quietly, and she grimaced slightly as well, remembering the bruises and cuts on the teen’s face.

She raised an eyebrow. “Or that you shot him.”

“Just… Let’s keep quiet about that part, alright?” North suggested before sighing deeply. “No family? Anything?”

“Nope. On their own. He’s been taking care of her, and thanks to us, he can’t really do that for a while.” She remembered the trashed apartment and how the sister had clung to him, and she wondered how their mother had apparently just walked away from it all. “He shouldn’t have to do it in the first place.”

For a long moment they were quiet. Then North suggested the option that had haunted her from the beginning. “So,” he said carefully, “foster care?”

She’d been prepared for it, and yet she narrowed her eyes in anger. “Oh, I can’t believe that _you_ , of all people, are suggesting that.”

“What else can we do?”

“You’ve seen that plot in a million movies, North. They’ve tried so hard to avoid that option, and I’m not gonna be the one to bring all their fears to life. That island has been turned into a freaking military base, and if the system gets their hands on them, they’ll grow up to be a part of that mess. Just take you and South. Sure, you’d probably do well in a military school, and South would probably beat the crap out of most people, but you two separated?” He was a brother as well – he had to understand. She didn’t have siblings, but her childhood had been filled with the same fears. She refused to be the bad guy that had haunted her in her nightmares as a kid. “Don’t take that nightmare scenario and place these kids in it.”

North’s expression was pained, yet he refused to give up. “They can’t stay here.”

“Sure they can. She’s… not that big of a distraction? And he can drive.” To just drive was an understatement. He was a good driver – good enough to impress her.

“He’s not old enough!”

“Well, he grows. That’s like the point of children, isn’t it?”

North closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing his nose bridge. “So you’ll take care of them?” he asked, looking up.

479er had expected that question as well, but she still hesitated with an answer. “I… suppose!”

“In secret?” he asked dryly. So much for support from him. “They already know we brought him here. I can’t be involved in this again. Chances are they’ll have found out about this before morning.”

She knew that. She wouldn’t call herself prepared for it, but she was slowly coming to terms with the fact that it would happen. It’d be okay. She’d talked herself out of worse situations before. “They call me in, I’ll deal with it.”

“How?” he said. “They aren’t even allowed to know that we exist.”

“Exactly,” she said and nodded, because that was a real fact she had to work with. “I got it handled.”

“ _How_?”

“I’ll figure that out.” She tried to wave him off but he was still glaring at her with that stupid frown on his face. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m not asking anything from you. Just… keep quiet and give me the extra time to make a plan.”

“They shouldn’t be here.”

“It’s _fine_.”

“They’re _kids_.”

She threw up her hands. “It’s not a big deal. They eat and they sleep and they need something to play with. Easy.”

“I’m pretty sure you just described cats. Or dogs. Why can’t you just get a dog?”

“Because dogs shit on the ground, and I’m not dealing with that. Do you have any more questions or are you done?”

For a moment it looked like he was about to argue, even having his finger raised, but then he sighed, admitting defeat. Just like she’d done earlier when she’d faced the situation. “Just… think this through,” he asked of her.

“I did. Not my fault the situation sucks. Now, do I have to tell them you’re the heartless agent who’ll hand them over and ruin their life? Because I won’t be the bad guy in all this.”

He stood up, hands raised. “I didn’t see anything.”

She returned his smile. “Clever man.”

He was on his way out but stopped before he reached the hatch. “You realize you might lose your job over this?” he asked over his shoulder. The frown was still on his face, and she wondered if it would ever disappear.

“There are 50 states, North, but I’m the only pilot here who can save your ass in a meteor shower. I’m not the one who should be worried.”

“Why should they fire me?”

“They wouldn’t. Because you. Saw. Nothing.”

“I get it. I’ll be leaving.” He sighed before giving her his last warning, “Don’t accidently traumatize them or anything.”

479er rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I got it handled.” When his footsteps had faded away and she’d closed the hatch just to be sure, she leaned against the wall to breathe in deeply. “What the fuck am I doing?” she asked herself, shaking her head before continuing to move forward.

Grabbing the blanket and flashlight before opening the door, she entered the room with a small smile on her face. “Alright, bed time.”

They were both on the blanket-covered floor, looking up at her the moment the door slid open. The teen didn’t look excited about her order, and she could understand. She was sure she was going to receive the whole ‘ _I’m not a kid – speech_ ’ if she didn’t stop him.

His eyes were narrowed. “You-“

“Don’t even try. These painkillers cause drowsiness, and you already look half-asleep. Be a good example for your sister.”

“That’s a low move,” he said but grudgingly moved under the blankets. His sister copied his actions with a grin on her face.

“That’s how I prefer them,” 479er said briefly. “Okay, extra blanket, flashlight. Need anything else?” When they shook their heads, she retreated to the doorway. “Good. Then we’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.”

“What’s gonna happen tomorrow?” he asked with his head against the pillow. His eyes kept blinking, clearly fighting against exhaustion. It wouldn’t take long. Good, she didn’t need to deal with them causing trouble while she slept.

“I’ll get things settled,” she promised. “Don’t worry – I’m not breaking my part of the deal.”

“Good,” he said, as if he’d been able to do anything if she’d lied.

She watched for a moment as the siblings made themselves comfortable, turning under the blanket. “Alright. Turning off the light.”

Before she could flick the switch, the girl – Kai – called out, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she replied. Dexter was still glaring at her when she turned off the light. 

* * *

 

Dexter woke up and immediately planned to roll over on his side and continue sleeping. But as he moved it felt like his stomach burst on fire. A low whimper escaped his lips before he buried his face against his pillow. It was surprisingly soft. And smelled clean.

…This wasn’t his pillow.

“Dex?” Kai muttered sleepily and chubby fingers wrapped around his.

He squeezed back. “m’sleeping. It’s fine.”

She let out a small noise before crawling further under her blanket. Her soft snores filled the room a moment later.

Biting down on his lip, he slowly pushed himself upwards, feeling the bandage tightening around his torso. The lady had said it needed to be checked again in the morning, but he felt no need to lift the fabric and see the wound itself. If it looked how it felt, it had to be ugly.

The room was pretty small, and they were sleeping on the floor rather than on some beds. But she’d left like million soft blankets on the ground, so it was alright. It all smelled so clean.

For a moment he’d almost believed he was back home, but now it was absolutely clear they were no longer in their apartment.

Instead they were on a ship. In space.

Holy fuck, what had he done?

He closed his eyes when he became painfully aware of his headache. They shouldn’t have come here. The lady, 468er or whatever number she went by, had promised she’d get him fixed. But it wasn’t… Probably wasn’t worth this. Fuck, he was so tired.

Dexter laid back down, pressing his head against the soft white fabric. At least Kai seemed okay with the situation. The pilot had won her heart the moment she’d promised to make sure he didn’t die. Which could be a lie for all he knew. Kinda felt like he was dying. Not that he was any expert or anything, but it sure hurt.

At some point the door was opened and he lazily looked up. The lady was back, without her helmet this time. It was weird.

“Hey,” she said and placed the tray she was carrying on the floor. “Got some more painkillers. Didn’t know if you were a fan of needles so I also got some pills.” She shook a bottle that had been standing next to a glass of water. “I bet you’re in a lot of pain.”

 He nodded and shrugged at the same time, watching as she shook two pills onto her palm. She handed him them as well as the glass.

When he was a little too slow at sitting up, she put a hand under his armpit and gently pulled him upwards. He swallowed the pills and hoped they’d work fast.

“I also brought breakfast. I hope you like ham and cheese because I don’t have the time to fetch anything else right now,” she said, gesturing towards the sandwiches on the tray.

 “Breakfast?” Kai asked, up and awake in a second. She had rolled over to lie on her stomach, staring at the lady in curiosity.

She let Kai go crazy in the food as she turned towards Dexter and peeled off the bandages. He bit down on his lip and didn’t let out a sound. He didn’t remember much of the crash itself; just the constant alarms and the sudden urge to leave the island as quickly as possible.

He looked away when she reached the actual wound, and he hoped that Kai was doing the same. She seemed very interested in the sandwiches anyway.

“Looking good,” the pilot said before putting on a new layer of bandages. “Don’t move too much, and you’ll do just fine. You,” she said, pointing at Kai who had her mouth stuffed with bread, “keep an eye on him. He tries to stand up, you wrestle him back down. Got it?”

Dexter scowled while Kai grinned brightly. “I can do that!” she said and stuck out her tongue at him.

“I don’t doubt that,” the pilot said. Then she sighed and for a moment he could see all the worry in her expression. She should work on her poker-face. She left the tray for him to pick his sandwiches. “Okay, I need you to stay here alone for a little while.”

“What’s happening?” he asked after reaching for some breakfast. He kept his movements slow, still waiting for the pain to fade.

“Just having a little meeting. About you two. And where you should stay.”

“So we’re not gonna live here?” Kai asked. She even looked disappointed at the fact.

Dexter raised an eyebrow as well. He wasn’t a fan of being dragged around. But they’d been promised that they wouldn’t be separated and that she wouldn’t give them to the police. That had calmed him enough to stay quiet as she’d helped them back to her ship.

“Well, I can’t let you stay on the floor. I have to find some beds for you.”

She tried to smile but he saw the way her eyes flickered away. “Are you in trouble?” he asked and wondered if a cop could get in trouble. Oh well. She’d kept insisting she wasn’t a cop and he’d believed her in the end.

“I’m always in trouble. So nothing to worry about. But you have to stay here and don’t make a noise. Don’t leave this room. If anybody shows up, say I told you to stay. And just… try to look cute while you say it. You’re doing a great job,” she said, gesturing towards the smiling Kai. Then she turned towards Dexter. “You… Not so much. I suppose you could play the pity card. Just try not to look like you’re dying. We don’t need the medic team to be involved in all this just yet.”

Dexter frowned. He wasn’t a crybaby, if that was what she was suggesting. It didn’t change the fact that it hurt like hell.

The pilot left and closed the door behind him, and he sat up slightly, trying to see if he could open it. If she locked it, it had to be illegal and shit. He still wasn’t quite sure if they’d just been brought here to be experimented on. They seemed sketchy enough to be doing that sort of shit.

“She said not to move,” Kai reminded him with crumbs falling from her lips. “I could punch you.”

“Don’t sound so smug about it.”

“She’d just fix you up again. She seems nice like that. I like her. What do you think her real name is? Why don’t they use their real names? Did you hear she called him Agent?”

“It’s probably just a nickname,” Dexter grumbled. There was a very small difference between cop and agent in his mind, and he really didn’t want to get disappointed today.

Kai came closer, tangled up in a blanket and with her hair messier than ever. “But we’re on the moon! It has to be some sort of secret government shadiness. With agents and spaceships and mind-control.”

“This isn’t the moon. We flew past the moon.”

“There’s more than one moon, duh. We just only notice the biggest one. Like with butts.”

“You have no idea of what you’re talking about.”

“She said she’s the best pilot. Than she’s been on the moon. Maybe she was the first person to do that.” She scooted closer to him, scrunching up her face as she looked at him in concern. “Which colors are your bruises?”

Dexter suddenly became very aware of the sores on his forehead. “How should I know? I can’t see my own face.”

“They have to be black, right? Like black eyes.”

“It can be blue and green too. Yellow, I think? Depends on how messed up you got.” He yawned, looking up at the closed door. Oh, well. They’d been told to stay, and he’d been told to rest and the pillow was right there… He pulled the blanket to his chin, preparing nod off again.

At least Kai seemed eager on following rules for once in her life, meaning she wouldn’t sneak off. Hopefully.

“That sounds pretty,” she said and reached out to gently poke a bruise on his cheek. She tilted her head when he made a grimace. “Even with your face.”

He just grunted in response, watching as she began to pull out the pack of cards they’d been given yesterday to keep themselves busy with. “Wake me up if someone comes,” he said, already feeling his eyelids beginning to fall close. It had to be the pills. At least his stomach had stopped burning.

“’kay,” she said, starting a solitaire. “Don’t snore too loud.”

* * *

He woke up with cards stacked on the top of his stomach and Kai poking his forehead. “Someone is coming,” she whispered.

Dexter tried to sit up but his body seemed to move in slow-motion. He blinked a couple of times before he could focus on the door.

With Kai quiet he could hear the footsteps outside, coming closer and closer. He shook the blanket off himself and Kai scooted closer to him, suddenly smiling brightly.

Oh yeah. Be cute. That was what they’d been told.

He would let Kai do most of the work here.

“Do you think it’s her?” she asked, and Dexter just hushed at her. To be honest, he didn’t have his hopes up. Whoever was inside the ship was taking their time, moving around slowly.

And when the person spoke, his suspicions were definitely proven right. “Knock knock.”

Dexter frowned, unsure of just what to make of the situation. The fact that it wasn’t the pilot coming for them had to be a bad sign, but still. Was this some sort of joke?

Apparently, Kai thought so.

“Who’s there?” she asked in a clear voice.

He was too late to stop her, and he cursed mentally. He should have seen the amusement in her eyes and stopped her in time. For now, all he could do was to whisper for her to stay quiet.

The footsteps stopped and for a moment it was quiet.

Then the door opened, and a person in white armor stepped inside.

Dexter wondered when they’d see someone who for once wasn’t armored. Let it be the ugly Hawaiian shirts or whatever. Just normal clothes for once instead of something that screamed _dangerous soldier_.

And, holy shit, was that a rifle on his back?

But his attention was stolen by the fact that he wasn’t wearing a helmet and so Dexter could not help but stare at the very obvious mustache.

The mustache man looked down at them with an amused huff, crossing his arms. “Two lost kids, apparently.”

And Kai, of course, had to ask, “Two lost kids _who_?”

He tilted his head, apparently considering an answer before he admitted, “I don’t know how to finish the joke. I've never gotten this far before."

Well, it was a bit too late to be too quiet for him to notice them. So this was apparently the part where they’d start Plan B. Kai had already begun to smile at the newcomer.

But Dexter kept frowning, trying to stand up though his legs still felt asleep and he ended up leaning against the wall. The newcomer didn’t move to help him, which he could appreciate, but on the other hand he looked just a bit too amused with the situation.

Dexter narrowed his eyes, wondering what in the world he could want.

“What’s with your face?” Kai asked, eyes focused on the mustache that seemed to steal the spotlight.

“This,” the man said, gesturing towards it with a smooth movement, “is a glorious mustache.”

Kai smacked her lips. “My mom’s is prettier.”

“I highly doubt tha- Wait. What?”

Dexter reached for Kai’s wrist, dragging her backwards before she could open her mouth again.

“Seems like our pilot picked up some extra cargo,” the man continued. “Oh well. I suppose we could always use some new subjects for the experiments.” Then he threw his head back and laughed.

Dexter felt his mouth drop open, and Kai took a step backwards, eyes widened in surprise, and he should never have brought her here-

“Wyoming, I _will_ make sure we get caught in turbulence the next time you’re riding with me. You wanna play dirty, you better bring a vomit bag.”

He felt faint, and either the pills suddenly kicked in again or it was the pure relief that the pilot had returned. She appeared in the doorway so quickly that the white armored guy actually backed away, despite her small height. She had to tilt her head back to glare at him.

But it seemed to work as he held up his hands. “Not to worry. We were all just firing jokes. Fastest way to get to know each other.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked, and Dexter really wanted to know the same thing. Plus, of course, the whole question about what the fuck was going on at this place.

“I came as soon as I heard. I was bored and wanted to see the sight myself.”

She sighed, pressing a palm against her forehead. “So there’s a rumor?”

“Certainly. And bets about whether it’s true or not. Fortunately, my instincts were right. Splendid.”

The pilot rolled her eyes before turning her head to stare at Dexter. She frowned. “What did I tell you about moving? Get your a- _butt_ down before I make you.”

He opened his mouth but in the end decided to say nothing. Kai came to join him on the blanket a moment after he sat down.

The mustache guy snorted. “Cute.”

“Shut it.”

“Do we get a bed?” Kai asked loudly, bright eyes staring at the pilot. His fingers flexed but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep her quiet. The questions would always keep coming, even after they’d be told to shut up. On mom’s bad days, he’d had to drag Kai to the other end of the room to prevent any sort of annoyance.

The lady blinked a couple of times before trying to answer the question. “About that-“

“When _are_ they being sent home? I can only imagine our employers aren’t too happy with your little… distraction,” mustache asshole said, cutting her off.

She just placed her hands on her hips with a small smile on her face. It was oddly comforting. “Actually,” she told them, “they’re staying.”

“You’re kidding me.” But a moment of silence afterwards they all had to realize that she, apparently, was very serious. Then mustache man began to laugh. “Huh. It seems like I’ve been outmaneuvered. This is a better joke than anything I could say.”


	5. Two Kids, Too Many Freelancers

The wheels continued to squeak as they made their way down the darkened hallway. Dexter rested his chin on his palm, noticing how clean the entire place was and how silent it’d become. It was apparently night now, or at least so the pilot told them. There was no sun or moon to look at in order to judge.

After making the mustache guy fuck off, the pilot had insisted he should visit the med wing, so they could take a look at his wounds.

Kai had come along too. Naturally.

The medical staff had treated him gently, with friendly voices as they helped him take off his shirt, and then they’d asked him too many questions.

The pilot had answered most of them anyway, and after poking his wound too many times, they’d applied some stitches. The gashes on his face had received new plasters, and they’d offered him some more pills.

Oh, and then they’d shoved him in the chair.

“This is stupid,” he said, sighing as he turned his head to look out of a window. It only showed blackness, a few stars in the distance. He figured they’d had to get used to that now.

“Hey, I don’t want to hear any complaining from you,” 479er’s voiced sounded behind him. “I’m the one pushing the damn thing.”

“I help too,” Kai said as she eagerly kept one hand on the armrest as they walked.

“Right. The small kid helps too.”

Dexter crossed his arms. Sure, he loved the idea of moving around without any actual effort, but having a tiny lady with a big attitude – this stranger who maybe had adopted them? Sorta? – push his chair was just degrading. This was a freaking spaceship – they had to be able to afford some electronic wheelchairs. “I could walk before.”

“Sure. But now you got a bunch of stitches in you.” She paused for a moment before continuing, “Here’s a tip from the adult life – do what the doctor says, and you don’t have to go there twice.”

“What kind of adults are you?” he asked, truly curious.

“The fun kind,” the answer came promptly.

The wheel continued to squeak as she led them down long, white hallways, until they finally halted in front of a metallic sliding door that opened by itself. Very fancy.

 “Here we are,” she said as she wheeled him inside, Kai right behind her. “Best thing we could find in short notice. Beds are there, obviously, there’s a dresser. My room is next door, but for the love of what is still good in the world, _don’t_ wake me up without a reason. My work requires a clear head.”

The room was probably the size of their old living room, but much cleaner. No trash on the floor, no old bills crumbled under dirty dishes. There was a big dresser at the end of the room, with two beds being placed along the walls. The covers were white, which sent off a hospital vibe, but they looked very soft. That was more than enough. They had their own bedtable as well, with a bright new datapad for both of them.

Dexter widened his eyes, slowly crawling his way out of the wheelchair so he didn’t pull his sore skin. By the time he finally reached his bed, Kai was already jumping up and down in her own.

“Nice,” she said after testing the springs.

“You need some new clothes ‘cause you-“ she stared down at him, making him too obvious of what he was currently wearing, “-look ridiculous in that gown. But the thing is, we don’t really have any kid sized clothes around here – for obvious reasons – so we’re gonna have to improvise for a while.”

She dropped a pile of clothes on his bed, and he almost sighed in relief. They’d made him wear a stupid hospital gown after finishing his stitches, and he felt humiliated enough as it was.

Kai jumped from her bed to stand next to him, watching eagerly as he began to investigate the gifts.

She watched as he pulled out a t-shirt that was presumable meant for her. It was still too big but it could work very well as a sorta dress.

“Which-“ Kai had already begun to ask but he knew the question.

“Grey. With yellow letters,” Dexter explained to her, looking the t-shirt over. From the corner of his eye, he saw 479er raise an eyebrow, but he kept quiet. At least until he’d read the message on the shirt. “What’s Project Freelancer?” he asked, looking up.

“That’s…” She trailed off, eyes darting away from him. “That’s a Project. About Freelancers.”

“Are we Freelancers now?” Kai asked, voice light and curious. Dexter wondered the same thing.

“No.” She shook her head. “No, no, no. Definitely no. The answer to that is no, and if someone ask you if you’re Freelancers, you say no. Understood?”

They’d not been told much, and while Dexter knew it’d probably stay that way, he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and ask, “The weird guys in armor – they’re Freelancers?”

“Yes. And ‘weird’ is a very good description. You have a good eye.”

He ignored the praise. He wanted to figure this thing out, even though it wouldn’t really change their situation. “But you’re not a Freelancer?” he asked again, trying to gain eye-contact. She’d at least taken off her helmet when she’d returned to them.

“No. I’m a pilot,” she told them sternly. “Remember that.”

Dexter wanted to trust her. He really did, because right now they were counting on her, whether they liked it or not. He nodded before asking, “And what are we supposed to be?”

“Kids,” 479er said with a shrug. “So have fun.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. Being a kid hadn’t really helped him for a long time now. “But why are we here?” he asked, trying not to sound desperate. Kai was in her bed, staring at him.

The pilot tilted her head. “That’s a good question. Really good. Stuff like that will keep you up at night.”

“You don’t even know.”

“Of course I know. I brought you here.”

“Why?” He leaned forward, wincing when his wound protested. “What do you get out of this?”

“What’s with the third degree, kid?”

“We’re in space,” Dexter said dryly. He knew that much. It’d taken a while before the pills had worn off enough for him to truly realize it, but now the truth could not be denied. It was surreal, almost dreamlike, and it didn’t make sense.

“That’s pretty cool,” Kai said with a smile on her face.

He crossed his arms, adding, “And strange.”

“I just think you two had a very boring life,” the pilot told them, brushing off the accusations with a wave of her hand.

He bit his lip to keep himself from asking further. Instead he curled his fingers around the new blanket, and he closed his eyes, already imagining how good it’ll feel later, with clean linen and a soft mattress.

“Where’s the bathroom?” he then asked, slowly standing up again. It hurt a little, but the pills had helped. And the doctor had said he’d been alright. Just a few scars. He could live with that.

“Across the hall,” 479er said and extended a hand to help him on his way. But he leaned against the wall, walking towards the door with small steps. “Okay,” she said but didn’t protest against his action. Instead, she turned towards Kai and gave the order, “You stay here.”

“Or the mustache man comes back?” Kai asked, rolling her eyes, as if she hadn’t frozen as well when the guy in white armor had talked about experiments.

The pilot winked at her. “Exactly.”

Dexter kept a hand on the wall, trying to focus on anything but his sore stomach, and after reaching the doorway, he continued walking towards the door she was pointing at. She didn’t reach down to touch him, and he could appreciate that. She kept hovering, though.

“Don’t tear a stich or we’ll both get in trouble,” she warned him.

He paused, leaning against the wall to take a breather. He deserved it. “The doctors said it was a gunshot wound,” he said quietly, looking at her.

Her expression didn’t change as she said, “Doctors say a lot of fancy words.”

“Was I shot?”

He didn’t remember much from the accident. Just the sound of the alarms going off, and the chaos that’d followed. He’d been trying to deliver the latest crate when he’d spun around, trying to reach the communication tower instead, knowing it was the only way off the island, and he’d just thought about Kai…

She took a moment to consider, but when she finally replied, she sounded genuine, “When we found you and picked you up – yeah, you were shot. Doctors also said you’re gonna be alright.”

He looked down, watching his feet covered in socks and the bare part of his legs where the gown ended. He wanted to get rid of this outfit as quickly as possible.

“Why are we here?” He kept his voice low. “You don’t just bring kids to space.”

“Well, I do.” She sighed softly before adding, “Apparently.”

“Which is pretty messed up.”

“It was either this or an institution. And I hate those as much as you do.”

“I’m not complaining.” He shifted the weight on his feet, winching again. “Okay, I _am_. But it’s weird.”

“It is.” At least she agreed with him. He’d begun to think this place was just filled with crazy people. It was probably was. The pilot ran a hand through her brown hair as she spoke, “Look, this isn’t my best solution. But it’s what I can do.”

“So what are we going to do here?”

At least they’d made it clear they weren’t going to be part of an experiment. But still – no one would just give them all this for free. They had to want something from them.

“First of all, you’re going to heal. Then you’re going to stay out of trouble. _Then_ … we’re going to figure something out. You can help out in the garage, or… You like vehicles, right?”

Dexter looked up at her again. Something about her tone made him feel hopeful for just a second. “Right,” he said, nodding.

“Good.” She put a small hand on his shoulder. “We have something in common, then.”

* * *

South blew the hair away from her forehead with a furious huff. “You have got to be kidding me.” Then she spun around to face her brother. “ _You_.” She lifted an accusing finger. “You had something to do with this.”

York walked up to place a hand on North’s shoulder, patting it comfortingly. “I mean, to be fair – he did shoot a kid.”

“Really?” Wash tilted his head. “That’s… kinda mean.”

North groaned, pressing a palm against his visor. “It was an accident.”

“Your shitty aim shouldn’t be an excuse to turn this place into a kindergarten,” Carolina huffed. Her arms were crossed and her helmet was off, revealing her displeased expression.

North held up a finger. “Hey, if anything, my aim just happened to be a bit _too_ good that day.”

An amused laughter could be heard throughout the breakroom, and they all turned to stare at Wyoming who was nodding towards North. “Congratulations. You’ve single-handedly made 479er a single mother.”

“Can we please never put it like that ever again?” North begged after two seconds of groaning.

Carolina narrowed her eyes when she looked at him. “Why are the kids here?” she demanded to know.

North held up his hands. “I just helped bring the oldest one here for medical assistance. Then Niner took him home – and found another one?” He sighed, wishing he had all the answers. “You really should direct your questions at her.”

“Oh, I will.”

York moved over to stand by Carolina’s side, putting his hand on her shoulder instead. “Hey, from what I’ve heard, we’re not supposed to interact with them.”

South snorted loudly. “Good. ‘cause I sure as hell am not going to be a babysitter.”

“And I’m sure the kids will be happy to hear that,” York said promptly, and a second later she was glaring daggers at him.

Before she could punch him, Wash stole the attention by raising a hand in the air. “Does anybody know just how this was allowed to happen?”

His eyes fell upon North who rolled his eyes, “You mean why kids are allowed here, but not cats?”

 “Pretty much.”

Wyoming, who’d bragged about having met the small newcomers, threw his head back and laughed briefly. “My guess would be some pretty sophisticated blackmail.”

Then every Freelancer in the room turned their head to look at North who had to shrug. He wished he had the answer, but 479er had revealed nothing of her plan yet. He’d heard the official news along with the others when it’d been broadcasted over their radios.

He’d been surprised, actually. He wasn’t sure how the pilot had managed to talk the Director into agreeing with her plan. “I don’t know,” he told the others. “Honestly.”

A few seconds later, Carolina seemed to accept his answer, nodding briefly. “So we follow the rules. We stay away from the kids.” She looked at North, narrowing her eyes, as she repeated her words, “ _We stay away from the kids_.”

His shoulders slumped. “I heard you.”

“I bet he’s already knitting them matching Christmas sweaters,” South spat at him as she turned around to leave the conference room. The rest of the Freelancers followed her. They couldn’t avoid their daily duties for that long.

 “I’m not,” he called after her. “And I don’t know how to knit.”

“How do you accidently shoot a kid?” Wash mused out loud as he walked past him.

North sighed.

* * *

 “North.”

“Oh no.” Even before he’d turned around to face her, he knew this would lead to nothing good. Just the tone of her voice alerted him. “I should probably tell you that there’s been made a mutual agreement about Freelancers not interfering with you and your - _the_ kids,” he told 479er when she halted in front of him.

She crossed her arms, expression never changing. “You have baby-sitting duty.”

“No,” he shook his head. It’d been almost a week, and they’d all stuck to the rules – don’t interfere with the newcomers. Don’t even think about them. 479er was in charge of that problem, and he hadn’t seen her during that time either. “No, I don’t think I’m doing that.”

“Well, I have a meteor shower to take care,” she told him dryly, fingers drumming against her arm plate. “So tell me – how do you feel about dying in a big explosion?”

“Not on my top five list.”

“Good. Then you’re going to let me do my job.”

She began to walk, not even gesturing for him to follow. He did so anyway. For some reason he couldn’t make himself turn away. “They’re stuck on a ship – it’s not like they could run away. They don’t need babysitting.”

“Alright. Say that again and let me record you. Then I can play it again after they stumble upon laser rifles and we’ve picked them up from the med wing.”

“The oldest kid –“

“Dexter,” she said, nodding.

North made a mental note to remember that name. “If he looks after the small one-“

“Kai-“

“He can take care of her.” He knew how siblings worked.  It’d be fine. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to see them – but he knew he wasn’t supposed to.

479er smacked her lips. “Okay, so we let a stubborn teenager filled with painkillers take care of a curious, hyper and bored kid. Now, count all the different ways that could go wrong. When you’re done counting, we’re all dead, because we wasted my time so I couldn’t save this ship from a meteor shower.”

The door in front of them slid open. Two kids looked up at them – both lying in each bed.

“Kids, North will look after you now. Because he is a very valued and responsible friend who wouldn’t break a promise or let me down.”

He could feel her glare through the visor.

“Where are you going?” the smallest one said, letting go of the crayon she’d been using.

“Save this ship.”

The kid grinned. “Cool.”

“Have fun.” 479er waved at them, turning around to leave.

But she froze in the doorway when the voice called out again, “You’re coming back, right?”

Both of the kids were staring at her, even the teenager. He was frowning, eyes darting from the pilot to his sister.

 “Sure,” 479er said quickly. “When I’ve shot some meteors.”

And then she left, before the kids could ask more questions, and before North could demand to know how she’d managed to get them to stay. It was a popular subject among the Freelancers since no one had the answer. Not even North, despite what they all thought.

He could hardly blame 479er for doing her job, storming off to shoot down the flying debris to save The Mother of Invention from changing course. He just wished it didn’t interfere with his job.

“So,” he said, rubbing his neck. “Have you guys settled in?” He stepped further into the room, feeling the door slide close behind him.

The youngest one – Kai – tilted her head, staring at him with narrowed eyes. For a moment, he feared what she’d ask him.

“Why is no one here wearing clothes?”

He opened his mouth, unsure of how to answer that.

“She’s talking about the weird armor,” the teen explained, nodding towards him. “Like yours."

North smiled as he understood the confusion. “It’s pretty cool, right?” he said, spreading out his arms. “Do you like the color?”

The kids turned their heads to share a glance. “She’s colorblind,” the oldest one then said, voice oddly dry.

North resisted the urge to sigh. “Oh.” He shifted the weigh on his feet, unsure of where to look. “It’s purple,” he then said, keeping his voice soft. “My sister also has purple armor. But it’s another purple.”

That caused the kid’s eyes to widen. She leaned forward in her bed. “You have a sister?”

“Yeah. She lives on the ship too. You might see her one day. Though, probably not.” Yeah, after a moment of consideration he figured it was best not to involve her in this mess. She was already angry at him. So he cleared his throat before changing subject. “Do you want to play cards?”

They did. And they were quite good at it, too.

Half an hour later, North was losing for the third time.

 “You’re too good at this,” he said, picking up the cards again. The kids had been a bit quiet, not starting too many conversations, but Kai had laughed a couple of times and answered the questions he’d asked. The teen – Dexter – had remained silent throughout most of the game, except when correcting his sister.

“Maybe you’re just bad,” Dexter said, keeping his voice levelled while raising an eyebrow.

North laughed – until a voice called out inside of his helmet. “ _Where the fuck are you?”_

He frowned at the sound of his sister’s voice, and he pressed the button to reply. “Bathroom,” he lied. No reason to increase her anger.

_“Then wipe your ass and get down here. They want us to run a co-op course, and I’m not getting a bad score just because my brother is feeling broody.”_

“Look, South, I’m in the middle of-“

 _“Don’t do this to me, North.”_ Her tone made it clear he couldn’t lie his way out of this _. “I’ll tell them_ exactly _where I_ know _you are-“_

“I’m coming,” he said. “Just let me-“

_“Let you do what?”_

“Wipe my a-“ He froze when he suddenly realize that both of the kids were staring at him. “Butt,” he said, before closing the call.

The teen frowned. “What was that?”

“That,” he said with a small sigh in his voice, “was my sister being mad at me.”

“Did she call you a jerkhead?” Kai asked with a small giggle, showing of her dimples again.

He nodded and abandoned the cards to stand up. “Something like that. So… Did anybody give you a tour of the ship?”

“479er said we’re not allowed to leave this area,” Dexter said, looking up at him.

“Well, I know what we’re going to do today.”

“She said she’d give us to the mustache man,” Kai added to the conversation with a tilted head.

North had a pretty good idea of who that could be. So he asked, “Are you scared of the mustache man?”

Kai smiled. “ _No_.”

He picked up the nearest backpack – it was quite worn, covered with badges, and he guessed it was something they’d brought from their old home. Kai helped him fill it with cards and crayons and various toys.

North then faced Dexter who was still resting on his bed. The oversized t-shirt covered the bandage North knew was wrapped around his abdomen. “Do you still need a wheelchair or-?”

“No,” he snorted, and proceeded to stand up by himself, though he kept his movements slow and careful. “If it was a bed with wheels – sure. But my arms are still sore from wheeling myself around. I can walk.”

“Please don’t collapse on me,” North warned him as they all left the room.

Kai looked up at him. “Would Niner get mad at you?”

“Yep.” North said and mentally prayed for his plan to work. “Pretty sure you would too.” 

* * *

“Sorry.”

“York, I have my sister screaming inside my helmet. I’m running out of options here.”

York sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not saying I’ve never broken the rules before. Or that I’ll never do it. I’m just saying this is a very stupid idea.”

Behind his visor, North raised an eyebrow. “So you’re with me?”

“Can’t we just lock them inside a room? Leave them some food and a tv and they’ll be fine.”

“Niner told me to keep an eye on them, I can’t keep on eye on them, I really have to go, thank you very much.” North could see York raise his hand to protest, so he turned his back on him, facing the kids instead. “This is my friend York. He’ll keep an eye on you for a very short while.”

Dexter leaned closer to his sister, explaining shortly, “Golden.”

She nodded, staring intensely at York who seemed very confused with the whole situation.

But instead of talking to the kids, he reached out to grab North’s arm. “Bad idea, North.”

North shrugged him off. “Good luck.”

“You owe me.”

But it was unclear whether North heard that last statement, since he rushed out of the room as quickly as possible. And so York was left alone with the kids. That was not how he’d planned to spend his afternoon.

“Do you all have weird names?” Kai asked him while adjusting her grip on her backpack.

Well, that was one way to put it. “Pretty much.”

Dexter tilted his head, squinting. “Shouldn’t your name be _New York_?”

Before he could even reply to that question, Kai opened her mouth and asked, “Is there an _old York_?”

“No.”

She blinked. “But you’re going to get old?”

“With this job – who knows?” He laughed, and then quickly realized his laughter wasn’t spreading. He coughed awkwardly. “That was a joke. This place is safe. Very safe.”

“Niner said she was going to save the ship from being hit by a meteor storm,” Dexter said, raising an eyebrow. There was a smug look on his face as he tried to keep eye-contact with his visor.

Oh well, such a situation had happened before. And The Mother of Invention hadn’t crashed yet. So the pilot had it under control. “There you go,” York said. “Ship is totally safe. Very… childproof.”

“What are those?” Kai asked, pointing at the equipment table in the corner of the room where York had been piling weapons before he’d been so rudely interrupted.

“Those are grenades,” he said, and then he widened his eyes as he realized just what he’d said. “Shit.”

“You’re not allowed to say a bad word. Only Dex is.” She stuck out her tongue at her brother who didn’t mimic the expression.

Instead, he turned his head to glare at York who caught the hint. Okay, so maybe not that childproof after all.

“Okay, let’s go another room,” he said, placing himself behind them to herd them into the nearby hallway. At least the followed orders very well – walking when he told them to. He almost sighed in relief when the door closed behind them, shielding the grenades from any possible accident. “Just so that we avoid any accidental explosion- _Carolina_!”

The red-headed fighter looked down at the children in front of her. She slowly crossed her arms, obviously not impressed. The kids said nothing – luckily.

“York,” she said as she lifted her head to glare at him instead. “What are they doing here?”

“So,” he said, cursing his situation. “North-“

She cut him off, as unyielding as always. “We are supposed to practice hand to hand combat together in ten minutes. Have you forgotten?”

It may have slipped his mind when North had shoved two living and breathing kids with all the responsibility that followed, into his arms. “Of course not,” he said.

“Good. Because earlier this morning you said it’d be the highlight of your week, and I’d hate to see you ruin your own day.”

“You know I can’t resist your presence and aggressive punches.”

Kai giggled at that comment, and York smiled when he looked down at her.

Carolina, on the other hand, didn’t smile. “They’re not supposed to be here.”

“But-“

“Fix it. You have ten minutes.”

And with that she turned around, her red ponytail swinging back and forth as she left the room with quick steps.

York sighed as the door slid closed, shielding her from his vision.

It took some seconds before he realized the youngest kid was tapping at his armor to gain his attention. “Is that your girlfriend?” she asked, and the question was quickly followed by the observation, “She looks scary.”

“That is true,” he said. There was no denying that.

* * *

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Nooo.”

“Yes, because Carolina wants you to do it.”

“But…” Wash whined, tilting his head to look at the kids behind York. “They’re kids.”

He patted his shoulder. He, of all people, understood the struggles Wash would not face. “So you get the overall idea. Have fun.”

Wash just sighed as he was left alone with the kids.

“Which state are you?” Kais asked him, having picked up a rhythm by now.

He froze as if unsure of what to answer. He understood the question but it wasn’t the usual way to introduce yourself. “Uhm… I’m Washington. Most people call me Wash.”

“I’m Kaikaina but most people call me Kai ‘cause they say my name is too long.”

Wash then looked at the teen, expecting a presentation as well. But he just kept his arms crossed, not saying a word.

“Which color are you?” Kai then asked with excitement in her voice.

Before Wash could answer the question – or ask just why she needed to know that – the teen replied for him without moving his gaze. “Grey. Yellow stripes.”

“I got the grey part right,” she said, winking.

Wash opened his mouth to ask what the whole deal was – and then he decided there was no need to make the situation more complicated than it already was. Seeing how he’d been on his way to the cafeteria when York had suddenly ambushed him, he asked the kids, “So, uhm, you guys hungry?”

* * *

 People stared at them as they walked towards the nearest table. Wash tried to ignore the glares, knowing that they weren’t staring at him but at his company. Still, he was pretty sure they were supposed to leave the kids alone. Something about them not changing a thing, and that chances were they’d never see them leave their assigned quarters.

And now… Well, now Wash was the babysitter. Apparently.

“Have you been shot before?” Kai asked him while chewing on a peanut butter sandwich.

Wash almost dropped his lunch on his tray, hands turning numb in surprise. He knew kids talked a lot but he hadn’t anticipated this question. “Uhm, yes. I have. Why?”

“Dex was shot,” she said, looking at her brother from the corner of her eye.

Right. That was why North had brought them here in the first place. “I heard about that. You okay?”

But Dexter didn’t reply to that question. Instead he came up with one of his own: “Why did you get shot?”

Wash blinked. “I didn’t move fast enough to avoid the bullet. It happens,” he said almost instinctively. It took him some couple of seconds to realize he hadn’t asked how he’d failed that practice course. “Oh, you mean, _why_ -“

“Are you guys soldiers?” he cut him off, eyes narrowed.

Wash wondered how much they’d been told – and how much he was allowed to tell them. “You could say that.”

“Where did you get shot?” Kai said while preparing the straw for her juice box.

“I’m not sure we should be talking about-“

“I once shot Nick from my class in the eye with hair bobbles ‘cause he called me a bitch.”

“ _Kai_ ,” her brother sighed before taking a bite of his own lunch.

She just shrugged. “He called me a bitch again after I shot him.”

“That’s…” Wash searched for the right word. “…impressive.”

He was just about to lift the sandwich to his mouth when Connie seemed to appear out of nowhere, hitting his shoulder, fists against armor plate. It still hurt.

“Wash, get your ass ready, they want us in level 3 to reevaluate yesterday’s mission.”

“What?” he said, his lunch falling from his fingers. “Now?”

“Yes, _now_ , so drop the deadweight.” She was staring at the kids as she finished her sentence. They looked just as displeased as she did.

“Okay,” Wash said, standing up. “Okay, just let me.” And then it hit him – the perfect solution. He snapoed his fingers. “Illinois! He’s got to be perfect with kids-“

“He was on our team, too. Remember?” Connie reminded him, crushing his hopes and dreams. “He’s busy.”

“Shiiiii-“ Wash bit his tongue as he looked down at the kids he was supposed to look after. “Uhm, who’s not busy? Uhm, maybe Wyoming. No, that’s probably a bad idea… The Triplets?”

“If you want 479er to murder you – _sure_.” Connie sighed, rolling her eyes. “Just lock them in a broom closet somewhere, and get your ass down to level three.”

The teen sighed loudly, backpack in his hand as he groaned, “So where are we going now?”

* * *

“Where are the kids?”

North froze. “You’re back,” he said, forgetting everything about picking up the extra bullets for his rifle.

And there she was – tiny in height and massive in fury. 479er was glaring at him, hands on her hips. “They are not in their room – the place where I told them to stay, where I told _you_ to keep them. You have three seconds, because I’m very, _very_ tired, North, and I am not going to spend the rest of my day making missing kid posters.”

“York has them,” he said before one second had passed.

479er breathed out through her nose. “York has them,” she repeated dully, one eyebrow raised.

* * *

“I don’t have them,” York said with a shrug.

“You don’t have them,” 479er repeated, words dangerously slow.

“He doesn’t have them,” North realized in horror.

York held up his hands to prevent any fist fight from occurring. “Wash has them,” he explained, hoping to calm them down.

479er’s mouth was a thin line as she slowly turned to face North. “ _Wash_ has them.”

* * *

“I don’t have them,” Wash head, adjusting his straw so he could drink while wearing his helmet.

But he dropped his water bottle with a yelp when 479er reached out, grabbing his chest plate and dragging him downwards so she could stare straight into his visor. “You have three seconds to tell me where they are, Agent Washington, or you’ll have to keep a vomit bag on you _every single time_ you board my ship.”

North barely stifled a chuckle, “He’s already bringing one of those.”

Wash didn’t even try to lie about his weak stomach. “It’s just-“

“On every single ride,” North continued with no mercy.

Wash gulped before telling the pilot who was still keeping a grip on him, “Your flying can be a bit…wild.”

She leaned his face closer to his helmet. “Oh, you have no idea how impressive my flying can be. But I can show you. Three seconds, Wash. Three, two-“

“Big Guy has them,” he yelped, and he stumbled backwards when she let go of him.

North watched the scene with widened eyes. “You mean-“

He was cut off by 479er’s furious yell, “ _You gave them to Maine?!_ ”

* * *

“Relax,” North said as he tried to keep up with the pilot who was rushing down the hallway towards the Freelancers’ sleeping quarters. Despite her short legs, she was awfully fast. “He is probably just using them to bench press.”

She refused to slow down and wait for him, and so she was the first to reach the door leading to Maine’s room. She opened it with a fist against the panel.

The sight in front of her was not what she’d expected.

In the middle of the floor, a sticker-covered Maine was sitting cross-legged. He didn’t seem to mind the various colors and glitters that Kai kept adding on him – on his visor, the top of his helmet, his arm plates… _Everywhere_.

Even Dexter had a sticker stuck on his cheek, resting in the corner as he watched his sister climb the back of the giant soldier in order to place a flower-shaped sticker in the middle of his visor.

Maine said nothing, except this low humming sound.

479er found herself resting against the wall, unable to look away from the impressive scene. “Apparently not,” she said, voice filled with relief and amusement.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We just want to thank you guys for all the support! We didn't expect so many of you to like this crazy idea, and your support just warms our heart! Thank you so much!


	6. It's a Chore

It’d taken longer time than expected for the kids to say goodbye to Maine. The small- _Kai_ had kept climbing on him until her brother had pulled her along.

And now 479er and North were leading them back to their room, herding them like a flock of ducklings. She was very aware of the glances they received from the workers in the hallway. Not that she cared.

“At least you guys had an exciting day,” 479er said, trying not to let Kai’s yawn be contagious. But it was hard: it had been a long day.

Dexter was squinting when he looked at her. “Didn’t you shoot down meteors?”

She resisted the urge to laugh. “Same old, same old,” she said. Sure, she’d furrowed her brows in concentrations several times during today, but she’d never feared her ability to make it through it. It was just another part of her work, as familiar to her as doing a barrel roll.

Kai looked up at North. “Do you share room with your sister?” she asked with a tilted head.

“No,” North said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Not anymore.”

“When are you old enough to stop sharing?” she asked, squinting.

Behind her, Dexter was glaring at the back of her head. “Kai, just drop it.”

“You _snore_ ,” she spat at him, sticking her tongue out in a playful manner.

Before the brother could retort – and he’d already opened his mouth – North stepped in-between them. “You’re never too old to stop sharing,” he said in a gentle voice, nodding at his own advice.

“Sheesh, sound any more like a camp counselor, would you?” It was too hard to resist rolling her eyes. 479er looked down to give the girl a proper answer, “You’re old enough to stop sharing when you have enough stuff so that you won’t have to share.”

Kai shared a glance with Dexter. “We need more stuff,” she said, almost gravely.

When they reached their quarters, 479er held the door open for them. “Alright,” she said. “Time for bed. Say goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Kai said, sending them a last smile.

“’night,” Dexter said under his breath, already halfway into his bed.

“Sunshines,” 479er muttered dryly, closing the door and gesturing for North to follow her. She led him inside her own room, noticing his hesitation but deciding to ignore it. She didn’t want anyone to overhear this conversation. “I suppose I have to thank you,” she said when he finally got him to sit down on her office chair while she rested on her bed. She didn’t care if the messy blueprints and empty coffee cans on her desk bothered him. “You did, after all, look after them for, what, four minutes? Before ditching them.”

The Freelancer rested his arm on the desk, brushing some crushed paper balls aside. “Hey, let’s not be unfair now. I did watch them for at least twenty minutes.”

“At least I know who to call for babysitting,” she snorted while shaking the can on her night table to see if there were any drops left.

“Are we talking about me or Maine?” he asked jokingly. Then he sighed, running a hand across his face. As if he was the one who’d spent all day shooting meteors, saving lives. “I think we need to talk.”

She crossed her legs, taking the last sip of cold coffee. “You sound serious.”

“The kids are staying here?”

479er nodded in confirmation. “Obviously.”

“ _How_ did you arrange that?” he wanted to know. “You’re not keeping this a secret from the Director, are you?”

That idea was almost laughable. “ _Please._ Not even I can pull that off. He knows. Can’t say he’s ecstatic about it, but they tolerate my solution.”

“And what did you say to convince them?”

479er left the bed to march towards the small fridge she kept beneath her desk. With her elbow, she forcefully shoved North’s legs aside so that she could reach for a cold can. Straightening out her back, she drank half of its content before answering his question.

“I explained the situation, sounding a bit more desperate than I prefer to admit. Then I added some pitiful descriptions of the kids’ life, I tried to awaken their sympathetic side, yada yada, then I might have added some white lies about the kids already having been told the intel about Project Freelancer. They certainly didn’t like that. They weren’t a big fan of letting small humans run around with that knowledge on a military occupied island. So that helped convinced them. Oh, and I told them about the boy’s driving skills. They were interested in that. Strange thing though – they already had footage of him on the outpost. Apparently, my aiming monitor records what’s on my screen. And for some reason, me – _the pilot –_ hasn’t been informed of that yet!”

He didn’t look as offended as he should. “It’s probably just security protocols,” he said, shrugging lightly.

She finished her can and placed it on the table with enough force to make a _clank_ noise. “It’s invasion of privacy, that’s what it is!”

North nodded. His brows were furrowed, creating a worried frown. “They want to train the kid?”

479er shrugged. They’d brought up the idea briefly, with the Counselor praising the boy’s skills, judging him from the recording. 479er didn’t like the man, but she owed them everything. They’d judged her skills once, and found her worthy.

“Maybe,” she said, turning her head. “Eventually. Not while he’s banged up. For now, I’m just supposed to stop breaking protocol. Which means I have to keep the kids here, and I have to make sure they don’t disturb your precious training.”

“So what are you going to do?” he asked her.

She couldn’t blame him for all the questions. They were annoying, yes, but she’d forced herself to find answers to them earlier. “I’m gonna keep them busy in the landing bay. Make them seem useful. Gods know we could use a hand down here. Even if the hands are a bit too small to fit the gloves.”

North looked like he’d just drank some of her bitter coffee. “You can’t just hire them,” he said, face still twisted into a shocked expression.

“Why not?”

“Because,” he continued, glaring at her, “they’re kids. They need school.”

“ _Sure_.” She snorted, almost chuckling. Then she saw that North wasn’t laughing. “Seriously? I bet you can’t get a child to vouch for that statement.”

“You know I’m right.”

She huffed, sitting down on her bed again. Sure, kids needed an education and all that. But did they really have to make things more complicated than they already were?

Judging by the look North was sending her: then, yes.

“Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll teach them some Spanish, you can- You’re not horrible at math, are you? You can teach them that.” It’d been a while since she’d spoken the Spanish language. The thought of speaking it again wasn’t that awful. Though, it’d probably bring back some memories she’d left behind a long ago.

“That’s not what I meant,” North said, crossing his arms.

“ _Fine_ ,” she said to say again, making sure to add a groan this time. “So what – you’ll be the one to pick them up after soccer practice? It’s long trip to Earth, you know.”

Even North had to admit his plan couldn’t work. The whole point of them staying here, was because she couldn’t drop them off on Earth.

So they had to compromise.

“At least try to get them some books,” North finally said. “Or a study plan.”

479er groaned, not sure how she could get her hands on any of that. But the look on the Freelancer’s face made it clear she had to find a way. “You’ll be the one to tell them you’re forcing them to go to homeschool in space,” she said, just to make sure he couldn’t walk away with a smug look on his face.

“Your responsibility,” he just reminding her, leaving the chair.

She followed him to the door. “At least let them have holiday for now. It’s summer, after all.”

“Technically not. Depends on which location on Earth you recognize as your time zone.”

“Well, it’s summer somewhere on Earth,” she continued to argue. She knew she was right. “‘sides, they’re from Hawaii. Always summer there.”

North stood in the doorway, looking like he was about to protest.

“Just let them settle in before you ruin their fun,” she told him. “After all, I’m putting them to work tomorrow. You can see that as an… engineering school.”

* * *

“You look adorable,” 479er could not help but say. She looked at Kai who was struggling with pulling up her too long sleeves. The overalls she’d found for her were way too big, but it was the best thing they had in the storage. But with the sleeves and pants legs pulled up, Kai could walk and work just fine. The big clothes just seemed to fit with her big smile.

Then she turned her head to stare at Dex who’d also been dressed in overalls.

He just… didn’t send out the same vibe as Kai.

“You… wipe that frown off your face,” she told him as he crossed his arms.

“I’m pretty sure this is child labor,” he said, and sure, he had a point about that.

But what was she supposed to do? Let them rot inside their room all day? She’d promised the Counselor that they would be not a problem for the Project. If anything, they should become a benefit. There was no reason to not start their education now.

“Hey, yesterday you complained about being bored,” she pointed out.

“I _said_ I was bored. That’s not the same as complaining about it. Being bored is good. It means you don’t have to do anything.”

She shrugged. He was a teen – what else should she expect from him? “Well, today you’re going to be busy.”

“Are we going to fly?” Kai asked. As if she’d allow them in the cockpit of her ship.

“No,” she said, resisting the urge to snort.

Kai mirrored her brother’s frown, asking, “Then what’s the point?”

“You,” 479er said and gestured for them to follow as she begun to walk down the hallway, “are going to help me out in the garage.”

“So… child labor,” Dexter concluded, using the same dry voice from before.

Gods, she didn’t like that word. It sounded… cruel. She wasn’t cruel. All this had happened because she’d tried not to become a bad guy. So no – this wasn’t child labor. This was a chore. Like you’d find in any normal, ordinary family.

“Hey, let’s not draw to any conclusions,” she told him. “I am the one keeping you fed.”

It didn’t seem to change his mind, yet he kept following right at her heels. “That’s still child labor,” he muttered under his breath.

479er forced herself to inhale deeply. She could do this. “Alright. How about this – I’m helping you out. Maybe you can help me out.”

* * *

“Hey.”

“What?”

He turned his head away from the view in front of them to stare at his partner instead. “Do you ever wonder why we’re here?” he asked her.

Dawn groaned loudly, tearing her eyes away from the stars they’d been staring at through the window. “Dave, if this is about that job offer on Saturn again – it’s fake! That article is fake! You can’t use Saturn’s rings as a racing track, so throw away those dreams, and be happy this place hasn’t fired you yet.”

For five long seconds, Dave just looked at her. “You know, I was thinking why we’re here on a Sunday without extra pay,” he finally said with a light shrug.

“Oh.” Dawn cleared her throat while shifting her feet. “Lazy unions, I guess.”

The landing bay was quiet today, with the last supply ship coming in the day before. The garage was still up and running, with the workers supposed to take care of all the damaged vehicles but…

It was hard to keep focus when something that really, really looked like Hale Bopp comet in the distance had flown past them. Sorta, at least. Or maybe it had just been another burning satellite. The hadn’t quite settled that discussion yet.

Dave turned his back to the window, crossing his arms as he watched the small workers carry crates from one part of the big room to another. He huffed in amusement. “When I requested for extra help last month, I was thinking maybe an extra impact wrench, or, if we were lucky, a new autolift. I wasn’t really thinking in the kindergarten theme.”

Dawn followed his glare while raising an eyebrow. “Well, they’re better at stacking crates than you.”

“They’re not.”

“Well, 479er hasn’t yelled at them yet,” she pointed out smugly, knowing it was impossible to argue against that statement. She then hesitated, wondering about what this could mean. “Do you think…”

“What?”

She bit her lip, barely able to say the words out loud. “Do you think 479er has gone… soft?”

They both glanced to the right to see their boss in the distance, having just walked out of her ship. “Only one way to find out,” Dave said before coughing and raising his voice, “Hey, boss! You look really nice today!”

479er’s head snapped towards them. “You want that raise, go stick that ray of sunshine up the Director’s ass and ask for a nice letter of compliment, ‘cause you won’t get it here! Go fix that warthog before I hire the kids instead!”

Dave nodded as he slowly let those words sink in. “Nope. She’s still normal,” he told Dawn as 479er no longer paid attention to them. Then he frowned. “Wait, does this mean they’re not even getting paid? Poor kids.”

As the two mechanics continued to bicker, 479er marched forward without slowing down her pace. She finally reached the corner of the room where the crates had been stacked into tower-like structures. “How are things going here?” she asked her new ‘workers’.

Dexter was lying on one of the bigger crates, back pressed against the metal surface. “I’m taking a break,” he said, staring right ahead, as if he was having a conversation with the ceiling.

479er looked at the pile that should have been twice the size by this point. “You’re not even halfway done.”

“They’re heavy,” he said.

She raised an eyebrow. “You’re a big boy.”

He finally sat up, groaning as he pushed himself upwards with his palm. He was scowling when he returned her stare. “You know, the last place where I worked illegally at least gave me a car.”

“Aaaand you crashed it,” 479er had to remind him. Not wanting to get into a full discussion with a teenager, she turned her head to check on Kai instead. The girl had also seated herself on top of a crate and had a mess of colorful wires in front of her crossed legs. “How are things going with you?” the pilot asked.

“I’m sorting wires.”

479er nodded and looked down at the colorful small piles. She tried to see a system but failed to recognize any. The colors were all mismatched. “I see that. Is there any secret system going on here or…?”

“Grey goes over here. Dark grey here.”

“Oh...”

“Still color-blind,” Dexter reminded her dryly from a nearby crate.

“Right.” 479er snapped her fingers as she remembered the fact. There’d been a lot of stuff to keep track of. But at least she’d learned their names by this point. She then straightened out her back, clearing her throat before giving her orders. “You, carry that crate. And you get to carry this one. Follow me.”

The kids looked up at her, obviously confused, but they quickly jumped down from their resting spot – Kai being faster than Dexter, naturally.

479er picked up one of the bigger crates and Dexter did the same, with Kai only being able to carry something a bit lighter.

The pilot marched back to her ship with the kids being right at her heels in a straight line, like ducklings following their mother.

“What do you need these for?” Dexter groaned as they walked.

“I need to make a little… check-up of my ship.”

Kai adjusted her grip on her crate, always dropping it in the process. “Do you need help?”

479er opened her mouth – and then she reconsidered her answer. She wanted to know what software had been installed in her ship without her knowledge. But she wasn’t quite sure if she was actually allowed to remove them, if necessary. She hadn’t asked for permission, which technically meant that she hadn’t been told she _wasn’t_ allowed. “Actually, maybe you shouldn’t be involved in this. You know what – go ask Dave and Dawn if they need any help with the Warthog. They’re the two idiots in the corner.”

As they reached the ship, Dexter basically let go of his crate with a loud huff. “Do we have to?”

“You want to be a driver. Right?” She stared at him until she received a nod. “Then you need to know how to fix a car. Go. Tell them to get moving, ‘cause I can see them not doing anything, and make sure they show you all the steps. Watch and learn. Got it?”

At least she’d got his attention, and he sighed before shuffling along. “Yeah…”

479er patted his shoulder. “Good. Now, go earn your dinner.”

* * *

“479er says you need to start working,” was the first thing that Kai told the two workers.

Dave dropping his jaw, tilting his head to look down at her. “Oh my god, you’re her new little henchmen. Cute.”

“Hench _girl_ ,” Kai corrected him, crossing her arms. “I’m a girl.”

Unable to hold back a laughter, Dawn bowed down to give her a high five. “Hell yes. Girl power.”

Kai gladly returned the gesture, smiling brightly as she turned to her brother and said, “I like her.”

“Man, they’re already picking favorites,” Dave muttered under his breath. He ran a hand across his face before turning to face Dexter. “Is this gonna be, like, a daily occurrence? Your faces here?”

The teen shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Well, if we’re stuck with you-“

“Or we’re stuck with _you_ ,” Kai said, tilting her head.

Dave was left speechless again.

So Dawn stepped in to continue his sentence: “-Then you need to know the rules.”

Kai frowned. “To break them?” she asked, before having to roll up her sleeve again.

“Wha-no. That’s not how rules work.”

“You can’t break the rules if you don’t know ‘em first,” Kai told them. “Then it’s all just an accident.”

“Well, here we don’t break stuff,” Dawn said, looking as confused as the kid. “We fix stuff!”

“Eh,” Dave interrupted her. “Most of the time.”

Dawn sent him a telling glare before giving the kids her attention again. “Alright. Listen up. You see something that can explode – don’t touch it. See anything that might electrocute you – don’t touch it. You see anything that might kill you – just, don’t touch it. Please.”

“Also, don’t make jokes about 479er’s height. She doesn’t like those,” Dave added. He was smiling for a moment before his expression turned almost fearful as he remembered a very important detail. “But most importantly. Never ever say the name _Iowa_.”

The kids shared a glance before asking, “Why?”

“Because then you’ve increased our chance of getting hit by a flying Mongoose with roughly eighty-five percent,” Dave told them, nodding gravely.

“Can’t geese fly?”

Dawn was the one who answered Kai’s question. “For around twenty seconds. Depends on the size of the explosion.”

Dave clapped his hands together, making sure all eyes were on him. “So. Guys. Small humans. What name are we never supposed to say?”

After a moment of hesitation, Dexter said carefully, “Iowa?”

“Yes. NO. _Ohmygod_.” Aware of the curse he’d just set in action, Dave covered his face with his hands in despair.

“Our twice removed uncle was from Iowa,” Kai felt like adding to the conversation.

“ _Shhhhh_ ,” Dave hissed, though it could barely be heard through his fingers. Dawn slowly patted his back in comfort.

Kai’s expression softened, suddenly sure if she was the reason for the tears. “But he wasn’t that bad,” she said. “He only deserved to be removed once.”

Dexter looked at the crying mechanic. “Should we be worried?” he asked, though it didn’t really sound like he was offering to help.

“Just get it over with,” Dave wailed, already knowing what was going to happen.

And, as the curse foretold, the doors to the garage opened, revealing a broken and smoking Mongoose next to blue-armored soldier with white and yellow trims. “Something happened,” Agent Iowa said. “And it wasn’t my fault.”

* * *

Carolina had been glaring at the darn thing for almost two minutes before she dared to ask, “ _Why_ is there a sticker at the back of your helmet?”

Freezing in the middle of moving his sandwich to the mouth, York followed her glare to stare at Maine. “I’ve always wanted to know the price of these suits,” he said.

Squinting, Carolina tried to get a better look at the sticker. “It’s shaped like a… butterfly.”

“And the price is forever unknown,” York sighed before continuing to eat his dinner.

Maine let out a low huff and took off his helmet, trying to rub the sticker off with his fist.

“Where did you get this?” Carolina asked, truly curious, though she figured out the answer when the doors to the cafeteria opened and 479er stepped inside, only to be followed by two newcomers.

“Dinner tastes better after a long day of work,” the pilot said as a defense against Dexter’s sour scowl.

“Ever tried ice-cream at the beach?” he snorted, though his eyes grew a bit distant at the memory. “You don’t need to work to like food.”

“It’s sad that there’s no beach in space,” Kai said. Her head kept bouncing back and forth as she tried to glance at all the agents in the room at once. “What do you do if you want to get wet?”

479er paused, almost stumbling over her own legs. “I shower,” she then said, sternly.

“Mom likes the beaches where it’s so hot you never wear clothes.”

“Sounds… hot.”

Kai shoved an elbow into her brother’s side. “I don’t think mom would like space,” she told him, looking up at him.

For a second, he bit his lip. Then, instead of replying to her comment, he turned towards 479er instead. “People are staring,” he said, glaring back at the people who were frozen in the middle of their dinner.

“I know,” the pilot said, though she looked completely unfaced as they walked down between the lines of tables. “Look, if it bothers you, glare right back at them.”

Dexter furrowed his brows at that suggestion. “They’re all armed.”

“It’s just their bad habit. They save the bullets for the training floor. The ugliest thing you’ll witness here is food fight.” Then a memory hit her, and she had to add, “…Or Florida getting drunk.” She shook her head to get rid of the image. “Just stick with me and-“ When she looked over her shoulder, she suddenly realized the kids were no longer behind her. She sighed loudly. “I wish I got paid for this.”

Kai was running down between tables, having caught the sight of a familiar face in the other end of the hall. Dexter was struggling to keep up with her, having accidently knocked down a couple of trays in his pursuit, earning some annoyed yells from eating Freelancers.

Wash had just put down his fork when he noticed the girl running in his direction. He raised his hand as a greeting. “Hey kids-“

When Kai rushed past his table without even looking at him, yelling “North!”, he slowly put down his hand again.

Across the table, CT was chewing her salad. “Wow,” she said when her mouth was empty, noticing Wash’ disappointed eyes. “That’s just sad.”

A few tables away, North turned his head and smiled. “Almost didn’t recognize you in your new outfit,” he said as Kai finally came to a halt right in front of him.

“We got a job,” she told him eagerly, grinning.

“It’s not a job.” Dexter finally appeared behind her, panting and with flushed cheeks after all the running. In his hand was a snack bar he’d managed to quickly grab from one of the many tables he’d passed. “We don’t get paid.”

“A chore, then,” the Agent sitting next to North said. His armor was aqua, and the helmet lying on the table seemed to be in the shape of a whale.

But his eyes were mild, and he was sending them a small smile.

Dexter tore his eyes away from the helmet and didn’t return the smile. “No one likes chores,” he said sternly, daring them to argue against that truth.

“True.” His smile didn’t falter at the hostility, but instead he gave them both a nod. “I’m Illinois.”

“He knows Hawaii,” North quickly added.

The effect was immediate. The kids’ eyes widened, in shock and pleasant surprise.

“True,” Illinois said, trying to not look too satisfied with the kids’ expressions. “Though it’s been much too long since I’ve visited the islands. It was a lot more… peaceful, the last time I was there. Not to say it wasn’t wild. Man, I do miss the parties at _The Tilted Tiki_.”

“That’s where mom got Dex!” Kai exclaimed. “She came home with a hangover and a pregnancy, but the hangover disappeared the next day. The pregnancy took, like, a year.”

Behind her, the teenager looked like he wanted to drop dead right now.

But Kai wasn’t done yet. “Hey, are you our dad?” she asked, tilting her head.

Illinois choked on what was definitely not water. North had to reach out to slap his back a couple of times, helping him breathe.

“ _Kai_ ,” her brother hissed, cheeks burning with shame.

“What?” she said, shrugging. “We all want to know it.”

Illinois put up his hands, shaking his head. His face was red from lack of oxygen and embarrassment. “Don’t you worry about… _that_. It’s been, what, almost twenty years since the last time I visited the islands? Man, now I just feel sad. And old.”

“He’s just a tourist,” Dexter muttered quietly to his sister, hoping it’d put an end to her questions.

But Illinois had always had a good hearing. “Hey now, watch your words, young man,” he said, almost sternly, though his voice remained gentle. He pointed his fork at Dexter, then at his own chest. “Born on Kauai, lived there for years. Went to Honolulu for the fun nights. That was before the military took over the place, of course.”

“Seems like the military got you,” Dexter told him, eyes wary but his expression had softened. He sat down at the table, his sister taking place next to him.

“I suppose that’s the case,” Illinois had to admit, sending him a knowing smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the major support! All the comments and kudos from the last chapter blew our minds! Thank you!
> 
> Okay, so pretty early on we decided we needed some smaller OCs, so the kids wouldn’t just walk around between unnamed workers in the garage. We hope you won’t mind. Dave can actually be seen in the show, in season 10, episode 8. He’s the worker 479er keeps yelling at while he tries to move the crate.
> 
> This fic was actually born from the two of us sharing the headcanon that Illinois was Hawaiian. Then we began to talk about Illinois meeting Grif. Then we talked about Niner meeting Grif. And eventually this fic happened.
> 
> Next chapter is gonna be a ton of fun. We can’t wait to show you.
> 
> Thank you again for the support!


	7. Cardigans and Bubblegum Flavor

“Rise and shine!” 479er said, making sure to keep her tone loud and cheerful. She’d been around the kids long enough to know they were probably still asleep. Either that or they’d spent the entire night awake when they’d been told to sleep, playing with their datapads instead.

The 50/50 chance worked in her favor, actually, since there were two kids. And 479er would put her bets on the fact that Kai was awake and bouncing, while Dexter would still be sleeping.

She was right. Of course. As she opened the door to their room, Kai was busy watching some sort of movie, while Dexter was curled together like a cat on top of his bed.

“Good morning,” 479er said again, raising her voice.

When Dexter didn’t stir, his sister threw a pillow at him. It didn’t exactly work. “Five more minutes,” he muttered, pressing his face against the pillow.

479er raised an eyebrow. “You can get five seconds before I confiscate your blanket.”

“That won’t stop me.” The voice was muffled. “A true napper needs no tool.”

“A true napper will miss breakfast and go hungry the rest of the day.”

A couple of seconds and sour muttering later, he raised his head to glare at her through narrowed eyes. “The cafeteria is always open.”

“Well, we’re going on a field trip today.”

“Are you dropping us off on a farm?” Kai wailed, letting go of the datapad to stare at her in horror.

Her brother just huffed loudly. “That’s what I’ve been saying. _Child labor_. Straight from the garage to working in the fields.”

“Knock it off,” the pilot warned him with a roll of her eyes. “But seriously, we’re leaving in an hour. Get your butts ready. And just… We are going to make an impression today. So wear your Sunday best.”

She knew it was going to be a hard task. The fact that their dressers were not even half full was one of the reason why they had to leave the Mother of Invention today. At least they’d brought some clothes with them from their apartment.

Letting them run around in oversized Project Freelancer t-shirt wasn’t exactly a good option for today.

Kai had already begun to make a colorful pile of fabric on her bed, while Dexter was yet to stand up. He ran a hand through his long, greasy hair, still messy from his sleep, and he yawned.

479er wrinkled her nose. “And you – take a shower. I mean it. I can smell your teenage hormones from here.”

Dexter was still cursing under his breath when she left the room, metal door sliding close behind her.

“I don’t trust this,” he said, but reluctantly found the towels and toiletries they’d been given.

Kai copied his expression and narrowed her eyes. “Me neither… It’s not even Sunday!”

* * *

“Wow…”

North spread out his arms, awaiting the praise as 479er stared at him with widened eyes. “What do you think?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

“You look… ridiculous.”

North let his arms fall.

“Have you been waiting for an excuse to wear that sweater?”

“It’s a cardigan, actually-“

“It’s a stupid disguise, that’s what it is,” she huffed and crossed her arms. Even in her full body armor, she was still smaller than North who’d dressed himself in his civies.

And they weren’t even the ordinary civies. Past dinner, when people would begin to roam around the Mother of Invention without armor, chances were all their clothing would have the Project Freelancer logo on it. But North seemed to have taken the step further and had shed any evidence of ever being a space agent.

Except that the cardigan was purple, of course, but no one else would pick up on that.

479er huffed and used her helmet to take a screenshot of this. “What do you think we’re going to do?” she asked him. “Play husband and wifey with kids and the entire package? They don’t make stationcars as they used to, you know.”

“I just think we should keep a low profile today,” he said calmly, pulling at the sleeve of his cardigan.

She rolled her eyes. “Criticizing a woman’s outfit, North?”

“No. I’m not that brave.”

“Good choice. Who even told you that you could tag along?”

He tilted his head, shrugging lightly. “I figured you could use some help.”

“I can handle the kids, alright. I even got Dexter out of bed today, without the threat of a hose.”

“Impressive,” he had to admit, having been told stories about how the teenager could easily sleep two days in a row if they didn’t interrupt him. “But I wasn’t worried about that.”

“You think I can’t handle myself on Earth?”

“I think you just might not be the most subtle agent for this sort of-“

“I’m not an agent,” she cut him off. “I’m a pilot.”

Before that discussion could continue, the metal door to the landing bay slid open, and 479er smiled in satisfaction when the kids walked towards them. Kai was in the lead, of course, waving at Dave and Dawn who was supposed to be working in the other end of the garage. Dexter was shuffling his feet against the floor behind his sister.

But at least he’d followed her orders and taken a shower. His wet hair had been pulled back into a bun, and the orange shirt he was wearing didn’t have any stains on it. The bruises on his face had fainted in the weeks he’d been here, so at least he didn’t look that much like an abused child any longer. If anyone asked, and she doubted anyone would have the empathy to do so, they could easily lie about a fall from the swing on the playground, or something like that. At least the teen already knew how to lie.

Kai had apparently chosen her own clothes today, judging by how her brightly yellow top clashed with her red skirt and blue leggings. But, well, at least it was a joyful kind of colorful.

“What sort of farm are we visiting?” she asked, turning her head to stare at North, as if he’d be the one to give her the answer.

“We’re not going to a farm.” 479er sighed. “We’re going to Earth.”

That didn’t seem to calm down Dexter who crossed his arms. “ _Why_?” he asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

479er shrugged. “I finally found the receipt and I’m returning you two.”

“That’s a joke!” North quickly added to the conversation, jumping in front of the pilot to smile at the kids.

“Of course!” 479er shrugged before walking towards her ship, the kids following right at her heels. “They know me.”

“So why are we going to Earth?” Dexter asked as he stepped inside. He faintly remembered the interior from when they’d first arrived, and the pilot had tried to hide them in her ship. The metals walls were lit up when 479er turned on the control panel, and Dexter watched the endless amount of buttons and handles with great interest.

He couldn’t even begin to guess what they all did.

“You two need books,” 479er replied before using the com to let the staff know to open the hatch.

Kai climbed into an empty seat and Dexter followed suit.

“Remember safety belts,” North reminded them as he sat down next to the pilot

Dexter grunted but did was he was told, glancing at the corner of his eyes to be sure that Kai was doing the same thing. “Why?” he asked as he sat up straight again.

“Because you need an education,” North replied with a smile, looking for any sign of annoyance in the teen’s expression.

He didn’t have to wait look before Dexter frowned in dismay.

“We’re going to school?!” Kai in exclaimed in a manner that was hard to tell whether it was horrified or excited.

“We’re bringing the school back home,” North promised, keeping his tone so joyful that 479er cringed. “Don’t look like that,” he told Dexter who was still looking like his favorite dessert had been stolen from him. “School is a good thing. The rest of the guys and I still have to take classes every now and then,” he added to take away some of the bitterness.

Kai tilted her head. “Even though you’re adults? That’s embarrassing.”

“Hey, it’s never too late to learn. Besides, it’s a different sort of classes than what you’ll have to learn.”

“So what did they teach you?”

“Ah, the usual. Bomb defusal, lock picking. Some technological stuff.”

“Are we ever going to learn that?” Kai asked while her brother continued to scowl in silence.

Now it was North’s turn to frown. “I wouldn’t count on that.”

“I get your disappointment,” 479er snorted as the ship left the landing bay. “At your age, I’d have preferred bomb defusal over math.”

* * *

Dexter blinked once, unsure if the scene would disappear once he opened his eyes. But nope – this was still very much happening and he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or flee from the room.

At least Kai had fallen quiet as well, jaw dropping as 479er slammed her hands against the desk.

“Listen,” she said, and despite the fact that she was still wearing her helmet, they all knew the glare directed at the headmaster wasn’t a kind one. “We need books. And we know you have some.”

“So we’re asking you kindly,” North cut in, folding his hands. “If you could help us?”

Somehow, the man hadn’t lost the color in his face yet, though his frown made it clear that this was a situation he hadn’t expected to handle. But he kept himself collected as he looked at his computer screen, going through data.

“We should have some programs suitable for…” He trailed off as his dull eyes landed on them, taking a few seconds to remember their names. “Kai and Dexter. What are their ages again?”

“Shit.” 479er froze for a second before turning her helmet towards them. “How old are you two?”

Oh Jesus Christ. Dexter was curling his toes at how badly this scam was going. Sure, their ages were probably some of the details that hadn’t been properly described when they’d basically been dumped on the spaceship. People had been more curious to know their favorite food or how quickly they could move all the tires from one corner of the room to another.

Even North seemed to pick up on their cracking façade, as he quickly leaned over the table to laugh softly. “Time flies to fast – it’s hard to keep up with how quickly they grow!” He made sure to widen his smile even further. “Little rascals!”

Now Dexter was curling his toes again, for other reasons.

When all glances were turned in their direction, Kai spoke loudly, “Twelve.”

Dexter kept his arms crossed. “Basically fifteen.”

“ _Ohmygod_ ,” North muttered so quietly under his breath that Dexter believed he was the only one hearing it.

He swung his leg back and forth, hitting the wall behind the chair as he tried to deal with the awkwardness in the room.

The headmaster shifted in his seat. “Alright. We need to fill out some forms. I need your name here.”

He was looking at 479er who pulled her had back at the request. “My name?” she repeated, sounding oddly offended. “Aren’t we getting a bit too personal now?”

The urge to face-palm was difficult to resist. Dexter wasn’t sure how she’d plan for this conversation to go.

But as she seemed to realize that this was a requirement – not to mention necessary in order to seem like a normal family, as if they could fool anyone at this point – she sighed. “ _Fine_.” All eyes fell on her, and it occurred to Dexter that he wasn’t the only one unaware of her real name. The curiosity actually made him lean forward in his seat. “Isabel Garcia.”

The excitement only grew stronger as North was the next one to answer the question. “Anders Smith,” he answered calmly without his expression changing the slightest. “Kept the last name.”

Dexter, however, couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping. From the corner of his eye, he saw his sister copy his expression. It was just… weird. Getting a real name from them. It wasn’t what he’d expected.

Apparently their poker faces were pure shit, because North subtly asked them if they wanted to take a look at the school. It served as an easy way to avoid witnessing the rest of this train-wreck in action. If they ended up getting arrested, at least they’d be at a safe distance. Could you even arrest space agents? Dexter wasn’t sure.

The moment the doors closed behind them, the school was eerily quiet. There was a window that allowed passers-by to look inside the classroom. Dexter placed his hands against the glass and watched the students sit by their desk, datapads in their hands. They looked around his age, perhaps a year or two younger, and while most of them seemed to be paying attention to the teacher, many of them were also slumped in their seats, thoughts obviously elsewhere.

Dexter bit the inside of his cheek and wondered just why he’d ended up with such a different fate. He’d wondered the same when mom had left, but, honestly, suddenly living in space was an even more bizarre circumstance.  

He couldn’t quite complain. They hadn’t hurt them or starved them or anything like that. They’d given him food, which was the easiest way to gain his trust, and clothes and beds, and even with their work in the garage, life was still easier than before the island had exploded. Working his ass off everyday hadn’t exactly been his first choice, but it’d been better than running out of options.

Of course he hadn’t exactly planned on being attacked and shot but in hindsight, it somehow seemed like luck had favored him.

It wasn’t like it bothered him that they gave them stuff. And took care of them. And were nice.

It was the fact that he didn’t know _why_ that was driving him crazy. Of course 479er had answered his questions sometimes, talking about guilt and being a good guy and him being an investment for this Project. She’d talked about jobs and him learning how to fly, but that was just another part of the unexplained niceness.

People didn’t just give stuff for free. He’d learned that very early on.

So there had to be something sketchy about all this. Hell, even the brief summary sounded sketchy – space machines picking up abandoned children without telling anyone to place them on their space ship in the middle of fucking space.

He could try to run, of course. Gather the attention of an adult, even though that was what he’d spent years trying to avoid. That attention would most often backfire.

But right now-

He could ask for help, tell them they’d been taken by strangers-

“I still think we should just have robbed the library,” 479er muttered, still loud enough for him, and he turned his head to see the pilot and the Freelancer walk down the hallway towards them. Their mission seemed to have succeeded judging by the books and papers in their arms.

“At least lower your voice,” North hushed at her but he smiled when he realized they’d been spotted by the right people. “Trying to sneak off into class?” he asked, jokingly.

Dexter swallowed the spit in his mouth. “…Never.”

“Looks boring,” Kai said as they followed the adults out of the building. “Do we still get recess in space?”

“Sure,” North said, adjusting the weight in his hands. “Though I suppose we don’t have a playground. Well, we have, but it’s a complex, high-tech training room for Freelancers.”

“Sounds awesome. Can we try it?”

“Maybe when you’re older.” North sounded unsure, suddenly turning his gaze away. Dexter decided not to ask into it.

“Aww…” After letting a disappointed sound, Kai was ready to change subject, setting her glance on 479er instead. “Can I call you Izzy?”

“No,” she huffed, straightening out her back.

“But for short? Please?”

“You can call me 479er for short,” she replied dryly. When a soft noise came from North, she spun around to stare him down. “Why do you look so disappointed? I don’t go around calling you Anders Smith.”

North’s smile didn’t waver. “Maybe that’s because it’s not my real name.”

Even with her helmet on, it was clear that the pilot shared their disappointment. Her shoulder slumped slightly. “Huh. Fake name. Should have figured.”

North raised an eyebrow. “So your name is really-“

“Say it out loud, and there’s going to be a lot of bumpy ship rides in your future,” she cut him off, voice as cold as ice. Kai giggled.

“What do you guys have against real names anyway?” Dexter asked them, and it was hard to sound like he didn’t really care about the answer, because right now he was genuinely curious.

North frowned when he looked at him. “It’s…Something you get used to.”

* * *

They dropped off the books at the ship before returning to the city for more “special” supplies. 479er had made it clear that trips to Earth would be rare, so today was the day to stock up on everything they might need. Clothes and _‘toys’_ , as the pilot called it. Anything to keep them busy – books, crayons, instruments etc.

Anything they wanted, really.

It was at the square of the city that they spotted the ice cream shop. He locked eyes with his sister, knowing what to do with this opportunity.

“I don’t feel so good,” Kai said, and while she didn’t even try to look faint, both North and 479er spun around to stare at her with alarmed eyes.

Dexter almost wanted to laugh. These guys really weren’t used to scams, though the scene at the headmaster’s office had already shown that much.

Pulling at the collar of his shirt, Dexter played along. “Yeah, I’m feeling really hot. It’s the weather. We’re not used to this. I can’t stand it. We need something cold, something…” He let his eyes drift towards the ice cream stand in the background, resisting the urge to lick his lips.

479er followed his stare. “You’re from Hawaii.”

“So? It’s still hot.”

His statement didn’t have the desired effect, and the pilot just huffed, crossing her arms. “They’re trying to scam us,” she said, sounding amused.

“Maybe they’re too shy to just ask,” North commented but at least he didn’t look mad about the fact. Actually, Dexter didn’t recall ever seeing him angry.

“You guys aren’t exactly the best role models,” he pointed out. It wasn’t like he was judging them. He already knew the truth about how sometimes you needed to lie in order to get what you wanted.

“Stop trying to guilt-trip North. He’s doing the best he can.”

To his disappointment, she didn’t rush over to buy them treats. He knew he shouldn’t expect that much from her. Just the fact they were willing to buy all this shit already was… weird. Strangely unnerving and comforting at the same time.

He didn’t like feeling as if he owed them something.

As 479er went with Kai to a nearby hobby shops, North was left alone with Dexter. After realizing that there was nothing of interest in the sport shop, despite the Freelancer’s high hopes, he suddenly told the teen to stay put.

Dexter watched him get absorbed by the crowd.

Now he was left alone, and that gave him an opportunity he had to at least consider.

He could run. Grab Kai by the arm and call the police, hoping that they would somehow believe him when he said they’d technically been kidnapped by space agents? And that no – he wasn’t lying or high on drugs or anything when he said those words.

Of course it wouldn’t be a great solution. He’d always hoped to avoid foster care, knowing they might split them up, and he couldn’t let Kai out of his sight, not when she was so foolish and naïve (she’d actually quietly asked him if they should buy some postcards for mom. _Pfft_. He’d of course talked her out of the idea) and she was his responsibility-

He _could_ run. But-

“I found ice cream,” North told him, appearing out of nowhere, balancing four cones in his hands.

Damnit. They’d already found his weakness. Dexter turned around to face the agent who was watching him with a raised eyebrow. Yeah, there was no running from this.

And it wasn’t like Dexter hadn’t made bad life choices before.

He reached for the ice cream North was offering him, muttering a quiet “thanks” when the Freelancer kept staring at him.

He took a few licks before following North back to the others, back near the shop façade where Kai was still pressed against the glass.

Mom hadn’t taught him much, but Dexter was aware of the whole thing about not following strangers who promised candy. But these guys weren’t exactly strangers any longer. Right?

While Kai squealed at the sight of the ice cream, 479er looked less pleased. “You Freelancers don’t have any spines,” she snorted as she reached out to accept the cone he offered her. Kai had already bit into her cold treat – rainbow sorbet from the looks of it – and was smiling brightly.

“That’s a subtle way of saying ‘thank you’.”

After a small huff, and 479er pulled off her helmet to taste the ice cream herself. “Bubble gum?” She turned around to stare at North who frowned. “Of all the stupid flavors in the world, you chose bubble gum for me.”

North shrugged, looking at the cone he’d chosen for himself – vanilla, as simple as it could be. “I had a sense it was your favorite.”

The pilot scowled as she continued to eat the treat, trying not to let the sweet, pleasant taste make her smile. “Damn you and your perception.” How was he even able to know it was her first choice of flavor? Why were snipers apparently able to choose the perfect ice cream for everyone?

North just smiled, as if they’d been trained in this skill just for this moment. “It’s why I was chosen for the job.”

* * *

“Anything?” Kai asked as they stepped inside the shop, looking around with widened, brown eyes. They’d been told to eat the ice cream before entering, and the kids had finished their treat way before the adults.

When 479er nodded, Dexter let out a loud whistle. “That’s a dangerous word.”

“Go crazy,” she told them. “We didn’t really have a stash of child-sized uniforms on the ship.”

“Because that would be unnerving,” North muttered, raising an eyebrow at the selection of clothes in front of them. He adjusted the sleeves of his cardigan.

479er reached out to give Dexter a nudge on the back as he watched his sister run eagerly forward, towards the most colorful area of the shop, though she didn’t know that. “Go on. We’re under a time schedule, you know.” The boy glanced at her once before heading towards a collection of t-shirts in the corner. 479er placed her hands on her hips as she watched them pick and choose. “Alright, seems like we have some waiting to do. North-“

When she turned around, the Freelancer was already gone.

She spotted him three minutes later, going through a clothes rack with cardigans on sale.

“You have got to be kidding me,” 479er muttered before retreating to the benches in the middle of the shop, where three husbands had already found shelter while they waited for their wife to get done. The pilot sat down, resting her chin on her palm with a sigh. “I hate the married life.”

* * *

479er went through her mental list before turning on the ship. Her fingers drummed against the controls as she said: “Okay, books – check. Clothes – check. Toys-“

“Please stop calling them ‘toys’,” Dexter told her. He was sitting in the seat behind her, looking through the gadgets he’d chosen for himself. “We’re not five.”

The pilot rolled her eyes behind her visor. “Distraction objects – check. Do we need anything else? ‘cause I’m not turning this spaceship around.”

“I think we should go for pizza,” the teen said without looking up.

“ _Why_?”

“Uhm, ‘cause we don’t have pizza? Isn’t that enough reason to get pizza?”

He stared at her with his mismatched eyes, and then his sister joined him in his battle, putting her glance on 479er as well.

North leaned back in his seat. “I’ll leave this to the pilot.”

“You can make it like a mission,” Dexter suggested. “That’s what you guys do, right? Pizza-mission.”

Kai nodded in agreement. “Pizza-quest!”

“Alright, someone gave you too much sugar today,” 479er muttered dryly and let the ship leave the ground. They’d been faster than expected. She knew they wouldn’t be offered an opportunity like this often, so at least the kids had worked with her and chosen what they needed.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t grow out of their clothes too quickly.

Though, she didn’t count on it.

“C’mon.” Dexter sighed as he looked out through the window, watching the sky turn black as they left the atmosphere. “It’s not like there are any pizza places in space.” When North couldn’t help but let out a quiet huff, he spun around in his seat to stare at him, jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me,” he exclaimed.

His sister shared his excitement. “Oooh, what about McDonald’s?”

North chuckled softly. “Only reason anyone bothers to stop by Asteroid 799.”

“ _Nice_ ,” Kai said, smacking her lips. “Space happy meals.”

“See?” 479er turned her head, tearing her eyes away from the stars to look at Dexter instead. “Space isn’t that bad.”

The teenager huffed but slumped back in his seat to find a comfortable position. His eyes didn’t leave the scenery in front of them. “I guess not.”


	8. Mama Grif

It was in the middle of their Spanish lesson that 479er noticed the drawing. She’d been appointed their teacher, after North had demonstrated his vocabulary ( _jalapeños_ and _tacos_ being his examples).

So now she had to rummage through her memory to remember what her mother had once taught her, the words she’d muttered into her hair as she braided it, all those years ago.    

The kids were quick learners, better than she’d been, though Dexter still struggled with the pronunciation.

“ _Años_ ,” she corrected. “Tengo 14 _años_. Not _anos_. You’re 14 years old – you do not have 14 assholes.”

The teenager scowled as if he was about to argue but it was hard to prove her wrong.

She’d tried to teach them the easy phrases at first, a simple introduction of yourself and your family and hobbies. There had been an awkward moment when their colorful school books had asked them to describe their parents as well.

479er had asked them to skip those pages.

And yet, as she’d sent the kids off to meet with Dawn and Dave in the garage, the drawing had fallen from the book, landing in front of her feet.

“Oh shit,” 479er said and frowned.

* * *

“Look at this,” she told North as she dangled the piece of paper in front of his face. She’d parked the kids at the table where Maine was eating his dinner (even from the distance, she could see Kai use big arm movements to explain the small explosion Iowa had caused in the garage today), and it allowed them to talk in peace.

North accepted the drawing carefully, studying it with warm eyes. “How sweet,” he said and turned in his seat to offer it back to her.

“It’s terrible,” she said as she tried to tear her eyes away from it.

The Freelancer frowned, obviously disagreeing, but he only argued softly against it, “Well, she’s no Michelangelo but-“

“I’m not criticizing her drawing skills, North – she’s eleven! If this was art class, I’d be scolding her for her anatomy because our visors do not have eyebrows and-“ She cut herself off before pointing at the word scribbled next to the crayon-drawn figure. “This. I’m not their ‘Mama’.”

But that was what the drawing was suggesting. Right there. The word next to her face. Her helmet, to be precise. She recognized it on its trims.

“They’ve adopted me!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t agree to that!”

“I don’t think that’s how it works-“

“Hey, I didn’t sign anything.”

North tilted his head at the drawing again. He was still smiling. “She’s eleven. And you’re probably the closest thing they have to a mother figure.”

“If they want a mother figure, they should ask Maine. I’m sure he’d be up for it.”

The Freelancer pointed at her, frowning. “If you don’t see yourself as their mother figure, then what do you-“

“I’m just the cool pilot who dropped them off at a better home.” She shrugged, taking a big swig cold coffee. “Like Hagrid. Just a spaceship instead of a flying motorcycle. Same thing, really. You don’t hear Harry call him Daddy.”

North raised an eyebrow.

She put down her can. “Don’t blame me – the kid bought the damn wizard book. It’s a classic.”

She’d reached her hand across the table to put the drawing back in her pocket, when South, of course, showed up from out of nowhere and snatched it.

“ _Nice_ ,” she said in a tone that made it very clear she didn’t mean the praise. Her cold eyes were set on her brother. “Why don’t you have one? The brats breaking your heart?”

“Easy, South,” he warned her, voice going low.

She took seat next to him, letting go of the drawing as she put down her tray. “Hey, I don’t mind them. _I’m_ not the one plummeting down the scoreboard.”

479er didn’t know much about this new score system among the Freelancer, other than the fact that it was creating a lot of new bickering and insults. But she knew that some people, Carolina and South included, had a tendency to care too much about the numbers.

“As far as I know, he’s still above you,” she said, unable to keep her mouth shut. She mirrored the Freelancer’s narrowed eyes. “So what’s your excuse, South?”

The Freelancer stood up so quickly that the table shook. “You-“

Despite the five minutes-long stream of curse words that followed, 479er leaned back in her seat and decided it was all worth it.

* * *

She tried not to think further about it. Which was hard because now she had a colorful, childish stick-figure drawing of herself with the letters _M-A-M-A_ organized in the forbidden order.

It was right there on the paper, burning into her brain.

_Mama Grif_

“Shiiit,” she said again, wondering just what to do with it. She couldn’t quite bring herself to crush it. That’d be wrong. Very wrong. The girl had obviously put a lot of effort into this and-

And that actually just made it worse.

479er huffed and reached over her desk, knocking over empty coffee cans, to pin the drawing to her note board. It was filled with blueprints of various abandoned projects. Something colorful wouldn’t hurt.

“Mama Grif,” she said out loud, smacking her lips, tasting the word and wincing.

“What the fuck?”

She spun around, and of course Dexter was standing in the doorway, glaring at her. It was the first time he’d truly sought her out in her personal room. It hadn’t exactly been cleaned, but 479er couldn’t bring herself to care about the undone bed, the snack wrappers on the floor and the evidence of a nasty coffee addiction.

She’d seen how Dexter’s side of the siblings’ bedroom looked – her mess was nothing compared to his.

“Evening,” she said. She’d expected them to stay in their room for the rest of the evening, like usual. They always found a way to keep themselves busy. “Anything you need?”

Dexter opened his mouth. “Dave said…” And then he trailed off, eyes focusing on something behind her. “What the fuck are you doing?”

She kept her face straight as she shrugged. “I couldn’t just throw it out. I think people call it ‘sentimental value’.”

“That… explains nothing.”

She’d hoped that keeping it in her room would mean the subject never had to be brought up again. She didn’t usually get visitors.

She really should have kept it in her drawer.

Holding back a sigh, she said, “I figured it was a gift.”

The boy looked at her with his big mismatched eyes, and while they were filled with genuine curiosity, his deep frown darkened it. “Why would you want a drawing of _mom_?” he asked, spitting out the final word.

“That’s your…” 479er felt her jaw drop as the realization crept up on her. She stared at the drawing again. “That’s your mom.”

Dexter shifted the weight on his feet, turning his head away. “Who else would it be?” he muttered, sounding bitter.

“I don’t know,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady so she didn’t seem like the one losing her mind. To prove her point, she waved a finger towards the drawing. “Why is your mom wearing a helmet?”

“Since when do helmets have eyebrows?” he snorted and proceeded to shrug. “That’s just her face.”

Sure, the quality of the drawing wasn’t the best and the colors were all off, but that didn’t explain the trims on the stick-person’s face. “Then what’s...?”

“That’s her hair. Kai’s colorblind – she got black hair. Like… us. And that’s her beard.”

“Oh.” When she blinked, 479er slowly began to realize what she’d thought was a helmet was instead a bearded lady with her hair pulled back. It wasn’t a pleasant realization, and it most certainly left her puzzled. “Why does your mom have a beard?”

Instead of answering her, Dexter crossed his arms.

“Never mind,” 479er sighed, realizing this matter was not supposed to be brought up.

“Right.” He glared at the drawing at the wall before lowering his head. “Just… Put it in the trash or whatever. Kai probably thought I managed to send it back to Earth or something.”

“Why would she send a drawing to your mom?” 479er asked immediately. At first, the question came from pure curiosity, but as the silence in the room only grew longer, the urgency began to fill her chest. “Dexter, why is she trying to send stuff to your mom?”

The boy’s eyes jumped towards the door. “Uhm…”

“Holy crap, she’s not gone.” It felt even worse when she’d said the thought out loud. When she’d been at their place, seen how bad things were, she’d thought that meant no parent. Gone and not coming back. The thought of the mother (still shitty no matter what) returning after months and finding the place empty made her cringe. “Alright, it’s official. You two are totally kidnapped. Holy fuck.”

“It’s not like she isn’t _gone_ ,” Dexter said, rubbing his wrist.

“So she is gone?” 479er knew this new information shouldn’t change things, They’d still be left behind, they should still be at an orphanage (North would still adopt them). And yet-

“Yes.” Dexter looked almost pained at this point, feeling as uncomfortable with the conversation as she felt. It was strange to see him without the poker-face for once. “She didn’t really buy a two-way ticket, you know.”

“Is there the smallest chance she is looking for you?” When he didn’t answer, 479er forced herself to become a ghost of her own mother, kneeling down to grab him firmly by the shoulder, keeping him there until she could gain eye-contact and never blink. “ _Dexter_.”

He wrinkled his nose at the sudden physical contact but didn’t pull away. “There isn’t. There really isn’t, okay?”

“Then why does Kai believe otherwise?” He didn’t have to tell her. The guilt that briefly flashed across his expression was enough. 479er let go of him. “You didn’t tell her.”

Dexter lowered his head.

479er groaned, running a hand through her hair, wondering for how long Kai had believed her mother was just gone on vacation. “You need to tell her.”

“She’ll _cry_.” He looked as horrified at the thought as she felt.

But still, that didn’t change the facts. “Yeah, well, you bet she’s gonna be sad if she spends the rest of her life waiting for her.”

The guilt could be seen in his face for just a few seconds longer before he blinked and – whoosh, his expression was neutral and bored and so fucking annoying. “Yeah.”

“Tell her,” she ordered him. “I can’t be the one doing it.”

“Fine,” he grunted and turned to leave, shoulders lowered as if she’d just told him to go clean the underside of the Warthogs again.

But he was moving just a bit too quickly, not dragging his feet across the floor but instead seeming eager to get out of here. She understood that. But it didn’t make it less suspicious.

“Hey,” she said, and he looked over his shoulder to meet her eyes. “You’re gonna do it?”

“Yes.”

Well, she couldn’t ask for more than that. She nodded. “Good. Just… Get me if you need anything. I… don’t particularly know what that anything could be, but still.”

He didn’t say anything to that but just slipped out of the room without a noise, leaving 479er alone with the drawing that seemed to be staring her down.

She narrowed her eyes as she stared back at it.

_Mama Grif_

* * *

They were staring at him. He could _feel_ their glares through the visors.

And there wasn’t really any way to flee in the elevator.

Their strange power armor seemed to fill most of cramped space, and Dexter tugged in his shoulders to look smaller, though it was hard. Wasn’t his fault he was suffering growth spurts.

He recognized them – they were the Triplets. Two out of three, at least. Iowa was missing, which was clear with the lack of explosions and burning vehicles. Dave still freaked out whenever the Freelancer would visit the garage.

So they had to be Ohio and Idaho, and Dexter was trying his best to ignore them.

But he knew that it was just a matter of time, that in a moment they would ask-

“You’re taller than I expected,” the girl said to him.

Dexter was still wondering whether or not to respond to that, when the other soldier shoved his elbow into her torso. “Don’t talk to him. They don’t like that.” He lowered his voice into a fearful whisper, as if Dexter couldn’t hear him, “He’s a teenager.”

And then, with a _pling_ , the elevator doors opened and Dexter decided it was time to leave this awkwardness. He fled into the empty hallway, unsure of which floor he’d entered.

He’d just wanted to find the stupid motor pool. Dave had talked about it, and how it was actually filled with working vehicles of all sizes and shapes and he’d just wanted to take a look at them. He knew better than to actually touch something with people walking around with armor and guns like guards everywhere.

But fixing cars hadn’t been fun for long. Heck, it hadn’t even been fun for a short while. It’d been a job, and he _got_ that. It’d be weird if he didn’t have to do anything here. They gave them food and beds and this weird sense of security. And they just asked him to move tires and knock tools against smoking jeeps.

He shouldn’t complain.

 _But_ no one had told him not to explore a little, either.

So, 479er had told him not to get lost. And to stay inside the garage.

But she’d also told them the cafeteria was always open for it, so technically Dexter was just on his way for afternoon snacks when he accidently stepped of the wrong floor. It’d be the Triplets’ fault, really.

And while he currently had no idea of where he was, he wasn’t going to stop looking now.

So he kept walking down the hallway, happy that it was empty and-

“-he signed up for this like the rest of us.”

“Give him a few weeks.”

“He’s our teammate. We need to know he will our back _now_. _Not_ in a few weeks. If he wants to play house with a couple of brats, he should have thought about that before joining the program.”

He hadn’t meant to overhear. But the door was open and the Freelancers were shouting, and Dexter couldn’t help but freeze in the doorway, turning his head to look inside.

And so he met the furious glare of an upset Agent Carolina, and Dexter did not nothing but stare back.

It lasted for a moment. Then she turned around and walked away, deeper into the room until she was out of sight.

York looked over his shoulder, seeing just what had caused her to cut himself off. When he saw Dexter, he sighed.

“This is probably more uncomfortable for you than it is for me,” Dexter said with a slight shrug. He could feel the tension evaporate every second since Carolina had disappeared, but the awkwardness was still getting the best of both of them.

Dexter remembered the first time he’d truly met York, back when North had tried to pass on the babysitter-duty. While York hadn’t seemed that threatening, he still remembered Carolina’s hostile energy.

“She doesn’t mean it,” the Freelancer said, turning to face him.

He couldn’t help but snort. The fire in Carolina’s eyes had been hard to miss. “Right.”

York scratched the back of his neck. “Take it from someone who knows her the best. She just needs to calm down for a minute. She doesn’t deal well with stress, if you can believe that.”

Yep. He could imagine how little it’d take for her to snap, and he’d rather not be there when it happened. “I’ll get out of her hair.”

Dexter tried to leave – this conversation really wasn’t what he’d planned to spend his break on – but the Freelancer kept talking, as if he wanted to comfort him, as if he was upset. “Look. Long story short, Carolina isn’t a big fan of changes.”

“Not like I’m stepping into you guys’ lives.” ‘Stepping’ wasn’t the right word. More like, dropped in the middle of a spaceship. He rubbed his arm. “Not that much. I haven’t seen you in the garage.”

The Freelancer tilted his head, trying to smile at him. “If it helps, she’s not pissed at you. Just at North.”

Dexter took a step backwards. “Great. Not my problem then.”

“Give her some time,” the Freelancer promised him. “She’ll grow on you.”

Well, at least it was better than the usual ‘you’ll grow on them’, because while Dexter did grow a lot, he didn’t grow _on_ anyone. He seemed to have the opposite effect, actually.

Dexter blinked.

York cleared his throat. “Did you need anything? Before you walked right into a redhead’s lament?” He smiled, as if he needed to make sure they all knew it was a joke.

“I’m fine,” Dexter said, one foot through the doorway.

At least the Freelancer looked unsure with the situation. “Good,” he said, though he didn’t sound that relieved.

York breathed in before saying: “Look, kid-“      

But Dexter had already made the leap for the hallway, rushing towards the nearest elevator. He didn’t really care as he pushed the buttons, just wanting to get away before the Freelancer could start to act sympathetic and shit.

He seemed to be going in the right direction – upwards – and he took a minute to just breathe and recall the quickest way back to their room. Their work for the day was done anyway.

And then the elevator doors opened and a Freelancer stepped in.

Dexter wasn’t sure who he was, and even if he’d bothered to learn all the color-codes for the soldiers, he couldn’t even recognize the armor from all the soot covered it.

The Freelancer said nothing as the door closed, just letting his shoulder slump.

He looked like he’d been having a really bad day. Judging from how there were still some embers on his helmet, Dexter couldn’t even imagine how bad.

“I hate agility training,” the Freelancer muttered sadly, and otherwise he stayed quiet as they slowly moved upwards.

Dexter held back a sigh.

This place was weird.

* * *

479er’s back was sore when she could finally drop the last work for today and head back to her barracks. She walked through the garage to find it empty – she’d asked Dave and Dawn to take the kids to their room when they were done.

It was easy to get lost in this place if you walked on your own.

She looked forward to her soft bed and cold coffee, and her mind was so busy with imagining the incoming comforts, that it was hard not to jump when a voice called out:

“I’m sorry by the way.”

So, apparently the garage was not that empty.

The pilot turned to face Dawn who was trying to rub oil off her armor plates. “Huh?”

“That we didn’t notice you were lonely,” she explained. “I mean, we work together. Live together.”

479er cringed behind her visor. “That’s a-“

“We’re practically family.”

“ _No_.”

“And we should have seen the signs,” Dawn continued, seemingly undisturbed. “You shouldn’t be forced to adopt-“

479er held up her hands, trying to cut her off. “That’s not what happened.”

“-for us to notice that you were struggling.” Dawn let out an excited _‘ooh’_ before continuing, “You’re invited to the next game night. It’s an Uno theme, by the way. Dave handles the cards.”

“I think I’ll-“

“You can bring the kids, of course! Or not! You really deserve a night off. It’s not easy being a single mother-“

She clasped her hands together to get the attention. “Alright, this has been a very unpleasant conversation that was never supposed to happen, so I’ll go now and I just want you to know that you have to take evening shifts the next two weekends.”

And so the pilot turned around and walked away before she could dragged into more uncomfortable conversations.

The moment she was safe inside her own room, she let out a deep breath, enjoying the quiet and the familiar mess and the vague smell of coffee. Maybe things hadn’t changed that much, after all.

And then-

“Have you seen Dex?”

479er didn’t even bother to sigh as she turned around to face the girl in the doorway. She pulled off her helmet to raise an eyebrow. “I thought you were keeping a sharp eye on him.”

Kai shrugged, letting her dark hair fall into her eyes. “Sure, but he usually doesn’t move much. It’s not my fault he’s breaking his habits today.”

Great. One missing kid. She needed another can of coffee after this. “Alright,” she sighed. “Where did you see him last?”

“He went to get some snacks,” Kai explained. “‘cause we were hungry. And you were gone for a really, really long time-“

God, they’d learned the pity trick quickly. She had to cut her off and add, “I gave you dinner!”

“Snacks aren’t dinner! They’re two different things. That we both need. To grow. Dex says so-“ Stopping so abruptly that she might as well have bit her tongue, Kai fell quiet. When she looked at something behind 479er, she squinted. “Oh. Are you sending the drawing to mom? Are you also the mailman? That makes sense when you have a ship-“

479er stared at her. Blinked. Bit the inside of her cheek.

She wasn’t subtle, apparently, since Kai turned her head to put her narrowed eyes on the pilot instead. “What?”

“Did Dexter talk to you yesterday?” 479er asked, though she felt like she already knew the answer.

Kai frowned. “…About the lack of corndogs in space? ‘cause he talked about that. A lot.”

And there went the rest of her peaceful evening. “I’ll go find him,” she said, already heading for the door.

“You should bring a corndog!” Kai yelled after her. “That would cheer him up!”

* * *

Dexter was surprisingly nearby, actually, slowly making his way down to their quarters from the eastern elevator. 479er didn’t know where he’d been off to, but it certainly wasn’t the cafeteria.

“Where’ve you been?” she asked, hands on her hips, as if it would get her anywhere with Dexter.

He just shrugged. “This place is huge.”

“Which is why I told you not to wander off.”

“That’s why you look pissed?” he asked, looking up at her to see her obvious frown.

It was annoying how he made it so easy for her to drop the subject. To lie and just pretend she was upset because of his disappearance. But that’d be a lie. And while lies often worked in your own favor, sometimes they could bring an ugly backlash.

And she knew that if she just let go of this, it’d grow worse. “You said you would tell her.”

“Oh.” Dexter didn’t even try to look remorseful. “I didn’t say _when_.”

“Don’t play smart with me.” Pushing the image of missing kid posters out of her mind, she gained his eye-contact and asked, “Is she looking for you? Your mom? Did I steal you from her?”

“She’s not coming back,” he muttered shuffling his feet.

He seemed believable. The problem was that Dexter had already proven to be a good liar. So 479er asked him, “Are you sure?”

“She’s not coming back,” he said again, more firmly this time.

“How do you know that?”

“I just do.”

“Why would she leave?”

“Because I yelled at her!” he finally admitted, staring back at her with an angry frown. When she didn’t respond immediately, he lowered his glance, letting his voice drop as well before he continued, “And said some stuff. And she said some stuff. So yeah. She’s not coming back. She said that. You have nothing to worry about. Can I go now?”

He was already trying to back away, as if the conversation ended there, and 479er stepped forward to keep him from fleeing. “Okay, look.” She ran a hand through her hair and realized it was soon time to cut it again. “I don’t know your mother. And I believe you. About her not coming back. But trust me – it’s not because you yelled at her.”

That earned her another snort. “How do you know?”

“’cause I’ve yelled at my mother. _A lot_.”

Dexter didn’t argue against that, but he did squint at her in suspicion. “I said mean things,” he said slowly.

“Oh, so did I. It’s not- Look, you didn’t cause that, alright? The only reason why this happened is because your mom is a shithead.” She froze, realizing her mistake. “Don’t tell Kai I said that. Actually, do tell her that, just don’t use a curse word or North will be mad at me.”

He let out a quiet hum that could be seen as a sign of a secret smile. Then he sighed. “Does she have to know?”

He wanted to avoid this as much as she did. Unfortunately for both of them, this had to be done. “Yep. World sucks like that. But she’ll make it.”

“Kai is an ugly crier,” Dexter pointed out weakly.

479er couldn’t even manage to send him a comforting smile, but she did say, “We’ll deal with that.”

* * *

After she followed Dexter to their room and closed the door behind him, the evening turned quiet. Sometimes she caught herself holding her breath and trying to listen for any sounds coming from the kids’ room but nothing broke the silence.

Kai wasn’t a screamer, then.

She did cry, though. That was proven after 479er had just turned off the light, when she’d dropped her armor in the corner of the room and cleared her bed for trash, right when her head had hit the pillow.

The door opened and Kai stepped inside, dried tear tracks on her cheeks, thought the crying had stopped. Her expression was still heartbreaking, even with her brows raised in a thoughtful frown.

479er sat up in her bed, knowing this would require her attention. “You’re the one waking up me for once,” she said, trying to smile as she rubbed the exhaustion away from her eyes. “Not really a change I approve of. What’s up?”

“Urgh,” Kai groaned before throwing herself dramatically at the bed. She bounced when she landed on the mattress. “What do you do if you’re like really, really mad at someone and you want to yell at them and you can’t ‘cause- ‘cause they are not here.”

479er looked at her, meeting her red eyes. “Well. Sometimes I scream into my pillow. Do you think that will help?”

For a moment Kai kept the scowling, stubborn look on her face before she blinked and accepted the pillow that was held towards her.

479er nodded in approval. “Guess we’ll find out.”

Kai threw her face against the pillow and let out a yell so loud that it could still be heard, though it was muffled. Still, it was quite impressive, such a loud sound coming from small lungs.

479er reminded herself not to get into a screaming match with the girl. “Did it help?” she asked as Kai removed her face from the pillow.

It seemed like it – the girl looked more grumpy than sed, though her eyes remained red. “I’m still mad,” she said, staring at the pillow.

“Yeah,” 479er sighed, leaning back against the bed. “That feeling tends to stick.”

Kai stared at her for a moment before her glance was drawn away. Jumping off the bed, she marched towards the note board. She ripped down the drawing she’d once made, only admiring it for a second before crumbling it in a ball.

479er watched her ruin it and bit her lip. “Try to score,” she said, pointing at the bin near her bed table, already filled with abandoned blue prints.

A second later, the paper ball bounced against the wall before falling right into the bin in the mess of discarded papers.

“ _Nice_ ,” 479er praised her. She adjusted her position on her bed before continuing, “You know. Some people are just bad moms. And you can’t really figure out why ‘cause moms are complicated and- It’s never the kids’ fault. You get that?”

Kai glanced towards the bin. “Her beard wasn’t even that nice,” she said before joining the pilot in the bed.

479er made space for her to lie down as well. “I can believe that.”

After making herself comfortable, wrapping her blanket around herself before looking up at her. “You’re pretty complicated too. Dex says he doesn’t get you. But I think you’re not that bad.”

“Thanks,” 479er said, unsure of how else to respond.

Kai smiled sadly before the grown appeared on her face. “Can I use your pillow again?”

She almost threw it right in her face. “Go for it.”

This time it wasn’t a scream. 479er would have preferred the scream really. This time it was a word, muffled, but she still managed to hear it.

It was hard to her expression under control. When Kai revealed her face again, 479er said, “Okay, just so we get that clear – that’s a word you can only use when screaming into a pillow. Alright? Or North will wring my neck.”

Kai didn’t respond to that, which probably wasn’t a good sign. Instead she asked, “Do you need it?” and held the pillow towards 479er.

Two seconds later she accepted it, “I suppose it won’t hurt.”

And so she screamed into her pillow, unsure of who she was actually screaming at, but happy to let the frustration leave her body in a loud yell.

When she pulled her head back, Kai had already fallen asleep next to her, sprawled across the bed like a comfortable cat.

* * *

While North insisted the kids weren’t pets, they did seem an awfully lot like cats. While Kai had no problem stealing her bed for the night when she needed comfort, Dexter was different.

479er knew he was hiding somewhere, licking his wounds.

Now she just had to track him down.

He was creative, at least. She found him the next day, after they’d already gone to the garage to work.

It was hard to spot him, but it wasn’t the first time she’d found him like this.

Lying in the roller board pushed under a Warthog, the only thing visible was his feet. She stepped on a part of the board, pulling it out so she could stare down at Dexter’s surprised face.

He still seemed sleepy, not even trying to pretend that he’d just been working.

“Hey,” 479er said. “What did I tell you about napping under 7,200-pound heavy vehicles?”

“I wasn’t napping,” Dexter muttered, scowl growing by the second.

“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “You were sulking. Quit that and come meet me at the elevators.”

That gained his attention. He blinked. “Am I in trouble?”

“Nope,” she replied before pushing the board back under the jeep, blocking the teen from her sight, just getting a glimpse of his surprised expression.

Five minutes later, they stepped out of the elevator together.

She kept feeling his glance on her, trying to only stare when she wasn’t looking back. But he kept up with her as she refused to slow down her pace.

“Seriously?” he asked. “Am I like, going to the headmaster’s office or something?”

For a moment 479er wondered if the Director counted as the headmaster but she quickly forced that thought out of her head. “Didn’t I just tell you that you aren’t in trouble? You have to start listening to me, kid.”

That made him fall quiet with an offended huff. She doubted if he’d ever been in these hallways before, though she knew he’d tried to explore the place.

But as they stepped into the motor pool, it was clear Dexter had never been here before.

He abandoned all ideas about a poker-face and instead let his jaw drop as they walked past vehicle after vehicle.

“Wow,” he said as he turned his head around so quickly she feared he might hurt his neck. But she couldn’t blame him for wanting to admire all the stuff down here. “Is that a tank?”

And of course the biggest thing down here caught his attention. She fastened her steps, pulling him along. “Let’s leave that thing alone for now. Don’t want anybody to lose a leg. But yeah – welcome to the place filled with actually functional vehicles.”

Dexter looked up at her, expression still so strangely pure. “Am I going to drive?” he asked, in a mix between amazement and confusion.

479er smiled just the slightest. “Depends – do you know how to drive?”

They came to halt in front of one of the new Mongooses.

“Yes,” he replied too quickly, looking at the vehicle. He paused, frowning before adding, “And no.”

“You’re not making this easy for me, kid.”

He walked over to gentle touch the shining paintwork. “Like, back on Earth they complained about me being slow and I told I’d be faster if I had a fucking jeep – and then they actually gave me one. Just for moving boxes and stuff ‘cause the base was _huge_. They just told me to show a license whenever. They didn’t really give a shit.”

That explained why they’d been willing to accept his shitty excuse of a driver’s license. She nodded, placing a palm on the Mongoose to lean against it. “So you can drive?”

“It’s not that hard,” he replied with a shrug, eyes glued to the driver’s seat. “When you just want to move back and forth. Like, you speed up or you break and then sometimes you turn the wheel. There’s a million video games like that. So yeah – I can do that. That’s _easy_.”

This was certainly promising. A bit disconcerting as well, but promising. “You did a pretty good evasive maneuver when the island was attacked,” she reminded him. “Quite impressive – for your age, of course.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I did? Can’t remember, really.” If he was faking his confusion he was doing a great job. She was ready to believe him. “But that’s like instincts, right? Not wanting to get shot. I think most people feel like that – not wanting to die.”

“True,” she had to admit. Watching him admire the jeep, she took her time before continuing, “So you can drive back and forth and turn the wheel?”

“Yeah. But I can’t like _drive_ drive. All the laws and signs and shit. Parallel parking. Actual traffic. Pretty sure I’d hit someone. Or a deer.”

“Luckily for you there are no deer in space.”

He smiled at that comment. It was weird. She wasn’t sure if she’d seen his teeth before. “Cool. Wait – are you going to teach me how to drive?”

Sure, it’d be an illegal thing to do, technically, and North would probably argue against it, but 479er knew the advantages of teaching them young. She smiled. “Well, you can drive but not _drive_ drive. Half-way there, I’d say.” She gave the Mongoose as gentle pat. “Shouldn’t be that hard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for your awesome support! You guys are wonderful!
> 
> Also, don't worry, there will be sweet Carolina scenes. We have something planned...
> 
>  
> 
> Dave and Dawn were watching Uno the Movie btw.


	9. Quarantine Zone

The teenager scowled when 479er started to drum her fingers against the passenger seat. “Check your mirrors,” she told him, leaning back to get comfortable.

To his credit, the kid actually looked upwards and then leaned out of Warthog, dark brows furrowing. “It doesn’t have any,” he said, looking back at her.

True. But she still needed to force the check-list into his brain. “But Mongooses have, so you need it in your routine,” she reasoned, despite not having touched a Mongoose in years. Damn things were just waiting to get you killed.

Besides, flying beat wheels.

“Then why don’t we use a Mongoose?” Dexter groaned, fingers flexing as well as he kept himself from starting the jeep just yet.

“Because a Mongoose doesn’t have a passenger seat,” she explained dryly. That was the whole point of this thing. He was behind the wheel and she was next to him, ready to observe his skills.

Dexter rolled his eyes. “Why can’t you just have normal cars?”

“Because no one wants to enter war in a Volvo,” she explained briefly before giving him the order, “Continue.”

“Uhm… Checking my imaginary mirrors.” His frown grew deeper as he looked around the Warthog. “Aaaaand my imaginary headrest and safety belt. Are we even sure this is a car?”

“It has a gas pedal and a wheel. It’s a car.” Gesturing towards the steering wheel, 479er nudged his shoulder. “Go on.”

But instead of pressing the pedal, the teenager turned his head slightly to glare at the audience. Judging from his expression, he didn’t appreciate the crowd, not even with North doing his best soccer-mom impression. “Why is everyone watching us?” he asked her, crossing his arms.

Along the wall of the open room, four Freelancers had lined up to witness the scene. Hearing the teenager’s question, South snorted loudly and said, “The kid is asking the right questions.”

Her brother gave her light shove. “We’re here as encouragement, South.”

“Yeah, ‘cause that fire extinguisher just screams ‘encouragement’.”

North ignored that comment and kept a tighter grip on the safety equipment.

Next to him, Illinois tilted his head. “I’m here for the bets,” he let them know, a broad smile decorating his face.

“And I’m here out of pure boredom.,” Wyoming added to the conversation.

479er chose to ignore them. She’d asked them to come after all. Well, she’d asked North to come and then the rest of the bunch had just tagged along. The Director needed to come up with some new missions soon to keep them entertained.

Maine was busy looking after Kai, a task they both seemed to enjoy, and that left the pilot to get some quality time with Dexter as his training began.

 “They are here as safety measures,” she explained to him. It wasn’t because that she doubted him. At least, not that much. But this training hall had a history of explosions, and it was best to be prepared.

Plus, if the kid still had his skills, she wanted witnesses to impress.

Dexter sent her a telling glare. “In case I crash?” he asked, rolling his eyes.

“Well, we found you in a crash-site so you don’t have the best history.”

That apparently sparked his stubbornness, and Dexter finally added pressure on the gas pedal, letting the car move forward. The speed was slow but steady, and 479er raised an eyebrow when she saw how the teenager handled the wheel with a practiced ease. He’d definitely been doing this before.

His brows did furrow in concentration when he had to make a turn, and 479er instinctively braced her feet against the bottom of the vehicle, but he performed the maneuver flawlessly. Well, it was hard to crash, now when they were driving with a speed slow enough for a grandma to catch up with them.

When he finished his circle, Dexter threw up his hands – and immediately placed them back on the wheel to gain control. “See,” he said, unable to keep his pride from his voice. “I did it.”

In the small crow, North was clapping before Illinois laughed and shoved an elbow into his stomach.

“You’re going slow,” she had to tell him.

“You told me to go slow.”

The kid had a quick tongue, too. “Exactly,” she agreed with him. “Quickest way to test your hearing. Congratulations – your ears are fine.”

Dexter was looking towards the Freelancers, shifting in his seat, obviously trying to get used to the eyes on him. “So can I go faster?” he said, turning his head to look up at her instead.

She still had to get used to the fact that they’d ask her for permission for stuff from now on. Sure, it was better than the kids taking off and doing stuff unsupervised, but still. This was a new level of authority and it was strange for her.

“Sure,” 479er said, because, truly, even Agent Iowa would have made it through this exercise when going this slow. Or maybe he’d just lose a single wheel. Anyway, it was time to let the kid loose. She wasn’t worried. She’d seen his skills when he’d made her crash.

The moment she’d allowed the acceleration, Dexter floored the pedal.

“Okay,” 479er said, just a bit breathlessly, when she was forced back in her seat by the sheer force of the Warthog rushing forward.

Dexter bit down his lips in concentration, but he didn’t lose control. Even when they made the turn, and the wheels screeched as they nearly spun out, he kept control of the jeep, leaving skid marks behind as they raced forwards.

Illinois whistled loudly. “I sense a mini Iowa,” he said, grinning.

North’s face fell. “Oh god.”

479er pressed her palms against her seat as they neared another wall. “Okay, turn, _turn_.” Two wheels left the floor this time, as Dexter spun the wheel to the left. But the Warthog eventually fell back onto all four tires, and he continued his racing undisturbed. “That’s a turn,” 479er said, impressed that they hadn’t died.

Sure, his driving was wild and rough around the edges and completely inappropriate for ordinary roads with other cars to take into consideration. In actual traffic, he’d probably get himself or somebody else killed.

But she could sense the control he had of the wheel, how he never panicked once. He knew what he was doing, even if he overdid it.

At this rate, she could keep training him and they might not even die a horrible death by Warthog explosion.

“I said I could drive,” Dexter said, chin raised, as he eventually stopped the car – the deceleration sudden enough for her to be thrown forward in her seat.

When she regained her composure and flung the hair away form her forehead, she corrected him, “Not on a road.”

“Not on a road,” he agreed, repeating her words.

To her surprise, she noticed he was showing off a tiny slimmer of whiteness – fuck, this was the first time she’d seen his teeth. The kid was actually smiling. A sheepish yet smug grin but still. It counted.

At least there were no roads in space, so that was one problem solved.

With the jeep coming to a halt, North broke away from the crowd to lean inside the vehicle to check on them. He sent Dexter a smile, saying, “So this was successful. I think?” His eyes flickered towards 479er, obviously asking if the skid marks on the floor were supposed to be there.

Dexter looked like he was about to reply, but then he froze in his seat as a white-armored soldier placed himself near the front of the Warthog.

“He’d be an excellent cab driver in New York city,” Wyoming said, throwing his head back to laugh. “That, or heists will always need a getaway driver.”

“What do you say, kid?” 479er poked him with her elbow to gain his attention. “Think you’ll rob a bank any time soon?”

Dexter didn’t answer.

For a moment she feared he’d offended him in some strange way – oh god, had they robbed a bank before? Had they been that desperate?

The teenager’s face was all contorted and then-

He sneezed, accidently stepping on the gas pedal in the process, sending the Warthog jerking forward.

North managed to jump backwards in time but Wyoming-

479er sighed after hearing a pained howl and a string of British curses.

“Are you okay?” North said, head appearing next to Dexter as he leaned inside the jeep to look at them both. Dexter didn’t reply but was instead wiping his nose with the back of his hand. The Freelancer frowned in worry.

“I feel splendid, thank you,” Wyoming snapped at him dryly, still jumping around on one foot. “Didn’t need that toe after all.”

Then Dexter sneezed again, almost hitting North this time, with South laughing in the background.

* * *

“I am not sick,” Carolina said and sneezed.

York took a step backwards, raising his hands to shield himself from the germs. “Why am I not believing you?”

“Charisma is not my strength,” she croaked. “Actual strength is my strength.”

York smiled softly at that, snorting, “I’m not arguing against that.” When Carolina doubled over as another sneeze wrecked her body, he frowned his brows in pity. “You look horrible,” he told her, wondering if she was aware of her pale skin and red nose.

Carolina ran a hand down her face, as if that could remove the tired bags beneath her eyes. “No.”

“You’re sick.”

“ _No_.”

Fearlessly, he took a step forward, pressing a hand against her forehead. “That’s a fever,” York managed to say before she shoved his hand away.

“I don’t need your fussing, York,” she snapped at him as she tried to step around him.

The fire in her eyes were glazed over by the exhaustion but they still burned bright enough for her to force her way forward. York made sure to stay right next to her, keeping up with her fastened steps. “You know, Mother of Invention is an enclosed area. If you keep sneezing, you’re dragging the rest of us down.”

“I’m not dragging anyone down,” Carolina said firmly.

“You’re not leading a team either.” Tilting his head, he noticed she was heading towards the training hall despite not wearing a full suit of armor. “Why aren’t you wearing your helmet?”

“Because the waste disposal system still isn’t sophisticated enough to deal with-“ She sneezed loudly, groaning before straightening out her back again. “ _This_ ,” she hissed with a grimace, gesturing towards the mess running from her nose and covering her hand.

York sighed, shaking his head. “Yep, you are going to bed.” He put a hand on her shoulder to lead her in the right direction.

“I don’t need-“

“Yes, you do,” he told her, ignoring her scowl. “C’mon. If you sleep it out, you’ll be on your feet faster. At this rate, even the Triplets could knock you down with a punch.”

“No, they wouldn’t,” Carolina insisted darkly, but followed him down the hallway without further resistance. However, when she realized they weren’t going in the direction of her private quarters, she frowned. “Where are we-“

“Doctors want to keep the virus contained,” York explained, trying to keep his expression neutral. “So…”

* * *

Carolina pressed her palms against the observation window, glaring at him through the glass. “No.”

“It’s gonna be alright.”

A fist pounded against the glass separating them, causing him to take a step backwards. “Let me out of here, York,” she growled, but he didn’t move closer to the locked sliding doors.

Instead he sent her a calming smile, promising, “It’ll be good for you.”

She didn’t reply to that. Instead she looked around it the enclosed space, frowning. The room was a part of the med wing, an observation window filling one of the walls. It was meant to be for quarantine, which she supposed the flu could be categorized as.

After all, illnesses could travel fast in a space ship.

There was a small bathroom attached to the main room that was only filled with three night tables and beds: one neatly made, while the two others already had owners. 479er’s kids were tangled up in blankets, a mess of toys lying around on the mattresses and floor.

“Why are they here?” Carolina asked him, lowering her voice as she’d rather them stay asleep, quiet and still in their beds.

“You aren’t the only one with a running nose,” York explained with a shrug. “They came here yesterday, and they both need to sleep it off. So do you. So we thought-“

“No.” She shook her head, leaning her face closer to the glass. “York, you can’t be serious.”

“Misery loves company. And you’re all a bunch of poor souls right now.” He sent her a smile that wasn’t returned. “Look, the med staff doesn’t want you around sneezing until we all get stuffed in here. So take one for the team.”

“They might wake up,” Carolina said, voice tense, eying the kids warily as if they were filled with explosives.

“You can handle it,” York said, taking a step backwards. The decision had already been made. It’d be good for the kids to have someone with them – and it’d be a good lesson for Carolina, as painful as it might be. Well, the ice always had to be broken before she’d warm up, just a little.

She shook her head, coughing, red hair flying around her pale face. “No-“

“I believe in you.”

“York!” Carolina called out and then immediately regretted her decision when she saw one of the kids stir slightly. She muffled a cough, lowering her voice as she continued, “York, open up the door right now.”

“I’m sorry. You’re officially in quarantine.”

Carolina narrowed her eyes. “I won’t forget this.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a learning experience.” The Freelancer’s expression softened as he watched her suffer through another sneeze. “Get better, okay? Rest. Have fun.”

“This is a mistake,” Carolina groaned but she could do nothing as her teammate walked away from the window, leaving her to her bedrest and misery.

Wiping her face with the Kleenex on the night table, Carolina sat down in defeat. As much as she hated being sick, at least this break would mean she’d be back at full strength quicker. She really needed to punch someone right now.

With a groan, she fell back against the mattress.

Across the room, one of the kids moved.

She raised her head to watch the oldest kid crawl out of his blanket, yawning and wiping snot across his face before setting his narrowed eyes on her. He looked like a displeased cat woken from its nap, glaring at her in disgust.

“Why are you here?” he asked sleepily.

“My friends backstabbed me,” Carolina said dryly before another coughing attack wrecked her torso. She spat some slime into the Kleenex, crushing it into a ball.

“Gross,” Dexter said and fell asleep a second later.

* * *

“Kai, don’t.”

With a groan, Carolina opened her eyes now when a voice had disturbed her from her slumber. She wished it hadn’t. Her entire head was pounding, and it felt like it’d been stuffed with her used Kleenex. She groaned, staring right into a round, red-nosed face.

“Do you want to play cards?” the girl asked her, sniffing when her nose began to run.

Carolina, too tired to answer, sneezed, and with a surprised ‘eep’ the girl scrambled away from her bed.

“Leave her alone, Kai,” her brother said tiredly from his bed, covering his head with a blanket. “She’s sick.”

“So are we, duh,” the girl said, coughing.

Groaning, Carolina leaned the back of her head against the pillow, covering her eyes with a hand. At this point she was pretty sure she was dying.

“Do you know how to play Five Hundred?” Kai said, shuffling towards her in her pajamas, cards in her hand.

Carolina squeezed her eyes shut again. “Aren’t you supposed to be napping?”

“Do you have a fever?” A chubby, sweaty hand was pressed against her forehead.

“Goddamnit York,” Carolina muttered under her breath, sighing quietly. She didn’t know where the other Freelancer was, if he was even looking through the window right now, but she did know that the moment she could stand up without the room spinning, he’d pay for this.

The girl began to hand out the cards. “So you’re the one who sneezed on Dex?”

The accusation made her eyes fly open. She knew the reason why she was stuck with the coughs was because of foreign germs brought to the ship by the most germ-infected creatures she knew of: children. _She_ was not to blame for this. “You’re the contagious ones. You must have-“

“-six and seven,” Kai counted as she placed the cards on Carolina’s torso. “You start.”

“You should… play with your brother.”

“But he’s asleep!”

Carolina blinked tiredly, feeling her headache grow. “I don’t know the rules.”

“I can teach you.”

“York!” Carolina called out, wanting her teammate to know what he was making her suffer through.

* * *

“Let me out,” she said, leaning her sweaty forehead against the glass. A doctor had entered the room earlier, giving them all pills to reduce the fever. 479er had been there briefly to check on the kids but had been shooed out to watch them through the window again.

A lot of the Freelancers had gone near the quarantine room, including North and Maine and now York. He returned her scowl with a smile. “But you are doing so well,” he said reassuringly.

“York,” she growled, and when she was denied her freedom, she flipped him off.

She expected to earn another smug smile from him, but instead York’s expression turned absolutely horrified.

Turning her head, she followed his stare.

And saw that the two kids were copying her rude gesture towards the window.

She caught the boy’s eyes for a moment, realizing how smug they looked, and she understand that he knew exactly what he was doing. The kid was smart. Too bad she was too old to get in trouble.

 “North is going to kill you,” York said, looking horrified on her behalf.

Carolina stifled a cough with her fist. “He can try.”

* * *

The kids managed to invade her bed in the evening, when they were supposed to sleep but the fever made them restless. Carolina pressed herself into the corner.

“Could you beat North in a fight?” Kai asked. She still had a crayon behind her ear from when she’d entertained herself by drawing earlier.

“Yes,” Carolina sniffed, wiping her nose again. When she could breathe a little easier, she raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you think I couldn’t?”

Kai shook her head, leaning over to draw doodles on the white wall. “Nah, North says you are terrifying,” she said while picking a color, seemingly at random.

Well, Carolina didn’t disagree with that statement. “Oh,” she said, trying not to look that pleased.

“Could you beat Maine?” Kai asked her while drawing the shape of a butterfly.

“Yes,” she replied immediately. True, Maine was a tough component and he’d manage to beat her multiple times before during training. But she also knew how to wear him out, and with the right tactics, she knew she could be the winner in a sparring match.

Besides, Maine seemed rather soft now, after she’d spotted him doing charades with Kai through the glass earlier that day.

The girl sneezed on her art. “I don’t believe that,” she said, smacking her lips.

Carolina frowned her brows. “Why?” While she knew she didn’t look like the strongest fighter at the moment, she was also aware she had quite the reputation.

Dexter, who’d been quiet during the day besides the coughing and sneezing, decided to join the conversation. “Have you seen the guy?” he asked her with a snort. “He’s huge.”

“I wasn’t aware this was a bodybuilder competition,” she replied dryly.

“I think you should fight him and then we can see who’d win,” Kai suggested in a serious tone. “And we could make popcorn.”

For a split second Carolina actually thought about bringing the kids to observe a training session. But then she remembered what a chaos that would be and how the kids had no business in the Freelancers’ program. But still, she couldn’t help but imagine the scene. “And you’d put your bets on Maine?”

“Obviously,” Dexter said, wiping his nose with his hand.

Carolina glared at him.

And apparently her glare must have revealed her annoyed emotions, as Kai put a hand on her knee, turning towards her brother to say, “I think we hurt her feelings.”

* * *

“We should rebel against them,” Kai declared in the morning as she pressed her face against glass, leaving a trail of snot behind. 479er had checked with them earlier, and when she’d been forced to leave, the girl still hadn’t moved from the observation window.

Carolina, who’d woken up with a headache even worse than the day before, groaned, imagining her earbuds breaking if the kids began to scream. She already felt nauseous. “No. Please.”

But apparently Kai didn’t hear her weak voice. “Give us freedom!” she yelled, pacing back and forth in front of the glass. “Stop the demolishment! And patriarchy! And give us back our islands!”

“What?” Carolina asked, so confused she turned towards the brother who was still bundled up in his blanket.

“Mom dragged us to a lot of protests when the military made their headquarters,” he explained briefly, sniffing.

“And give us curtains!” Kai yelled before trying to create banners with her crayons.

* * *

 When Carolina’s headache grew worse, they were allowed to dim the lights to her relief. And as a result, both kids collapsed in their beds into a deep nap.

Lulled asleep by their snoring, Carolina eventually had to close her eyes as well.

When she woke up, she wasn’t the only one awake. From her bed she could see how Dexter had his eyes open, squinting towards the window where a silhouette could be seen.

What struck her was his expression, the fear he failed to hide completely as he bit his lip.

Carolina followed his stare, realizing it was the Counselor who was checking up on them.

She wasn’t sure what he’d done to creep the kid out like this, but Dexter didn’t relax before he was out of sight, disappearing down the hallway as quietly as when he’d looked at them.

* * *

“How did this happen?” Wash asked, leaning closer to get a better look of the scene. His brows were furrowed in disbelief, as if what he was seeing was unreal.

York crossed his arms with a big smirk across his face. “I don’t know but I’m not complaining.”

“Is somebody taking a picture?” Wash asked, looking around to see if he had to be the one to pick up a camera.

“What?” Wyoming snorted, grinning as well, “For leverage?”

“So that people will believe us.”

On the other side of the window, the three patients had collapsed into a cuddle pile, pressed against each other as they searched for a comfortable spot. No one was quite sure if Carolina was aware of the situation since she was out cold, head leaned back, mouth open in a snore.

The Freelancers made sure to document the moment with a group selfie through the glass. 

* * *

Dexter woke up feeling like shit. He opened his eyes weakly, seeing his sister reach for the marker. He realized what she was going to do. “Kai,” he said but his throat hurt, his nose was stuffed, his head pounded, and he was so tired. “Don’t,” he said and then he fell back asleep. 

* * *

“The kids will be out in a day or two,” York told her as he followed Carolina into freedom. She kept her head high, looking much better than two days ago. Some color had returned to her face, and she was finally able to breathe through her nose. “479er will be looking out for them until then.”

“Great,” Carolina said, stretching out her arms to crack her knuckles.

York had a hard time keeping his face straight. “Heading for the training hall already?” he asked, sounding a bit too eager.

Carolina didn’t notice the tone in his voice, and she continued down the hall with her quick pace. She’d been looking forward to this. The kids had still been sleeping when she’d been allowed to leave quarantine, but she wasn’t going to spend any time longer than necessary in that room. “Yes. I’ve been out of the loop for two days, I need to catch up. Is Maine there?” she had to ask, eyes darting towards her teammate.

“Everyone is there,” York promised her. “They can’t wait to see you, actually.” He pressed a fist to his mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Are you sure you’re not just speaking for yourself?” Carolina asked him dryly, sensing his amusement.

Clearing his throat and straightening his back, York did his best to remain serious. “What can I say?” he said, looking at her face. “You’ve really… _blossomed_ in the last two days.” He bit down on his lip, eyes watering.

Carolina was about to ask what his problem was, but as they came closer to the training hall, Wash appeared from another hallway with a towel around his neck, hand raised as a greeting when he saw his teammates.

He smiled when he saw that Carolina was once again amongst them. “Oh, hey, Carolina, it’s good to see you- _ohmygod_.”

His mouth fell open, looking at them both in shock.

Carolina glared at him. “What?” she demanded to know.

Behind her back, York was making a grimace, waving his hand and shaking his head as he tried his best to silently signal Wash to stay quiet.

Wash looked at him for a second before he had to face Carolina’s stern glare. He gulped. “I am just… I stubbed my toe. It hurt. You look great. I need to go.”

He then hurried away, biting in his knuckles.

Carolina spun around on her heels, facing York before he could try to flee as well. “What is happening?”

He shook his head, eyes too happy but lips pressed thin. “Nothing, nothing. He is just-“

Before he could come up with a lie, C.T. appeared, on her way from the training hall, but she stopped abruptly when she realized just what she was staring at. Her mouth fell open but she pulled her jaw back up in a smirk.

“Holy crap. This is gold.” She pulled up her phone to snap a picture. Carolina blinked at the sudden flash. “It’s a good change on you, Carolina,” C.T. told her, eyes narrowed, looking like the cat that got the cream, and then she walked away before Carolina could find any words for the situation.

Carolina clenched her fist as she watched her walk out through the door. “What is she talking about, York?” she asked him, anger evident in her voice.

York held up a finger, mouth open to reply to her question, but she ignored him, racing to the nearest mirror instead.

All across her face, butterflies and flowers had been drawn with colorful markers, as well as some overdone eyeliner at the corner of her eyes.

And she knew exactly who the culprit was.

“The girl is fearless,” she told York as she tried to rub away the marking from her face.

But then again: she’d always seen ‘fearless’ as a positive adjective. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even the strongest will melt...
> 
> Thank you for all the support, guys!


	10. [Bleep]

The moment her foot sank into a half-melted candy bar, 479er decided it was enough.

“Okay,” she said, inhaling deeply through her nose. “You’re going to clean up this room.”

Two pairs of curios eyes looked up at her.

“ _Now._ ”

Dexter pushed himself off the ground – covered in clothes and trash and toys, it was a wonder he didn’t slip – and crossed his arms as he returned her glare. “But you said it’s bedtime.”

“And you apparently didn’t care about that, seeing how you two were not even in your beds.” Most of the times she could turn a blind eye on their misbehavior. Staying up an hour later had never harmed anybody. But South had made a comment about the kids being _spoiled_ –

-Which was an exaggeration, of course. North might be spoiling them, of course, but she was the _cool_ caregiver. She wasn’t a soccer mom. Despite the comments she’d overhead various times.

She hadn’t even embraced the mom-title yet. Sure, she’d kept the drawing Kai had made of her, but that was innocent sentimentality.

A caregiver had the ability to be cool. She could be on eye-level with the kids. They could understand each other.

A mom… Well, the word just brought back memories that made her frown. Memories of rules and yelling and arguments and things that had sucked.

Mom was equal to stern and unapologetic.

Not to say 479er wasn’t stern and unapologetic when the situation required it.

And her job called for such an attitude quite a lot.

But there was a difference between being a boss and being… whatever she was to the kids.

Kai’s eyes were going to her brother, waiting for his reaction to the order. And Dexter, going defensive the moment an order was given, just glared at the pilot. “It’s not that messy.”

“I can smell things I’ve never smelled before. The enlightening experience is not pleasant.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Dexter argued, sitting down on his bed despite the layer of used clothes on top of it. “We live in it.”

“Because you are strange. You are two very strange children. With a ruined sense of smell.” There was a very clear image of how a mom would react to this situation, how a mom was needed. 479er put her hands on her hips. “Clean it now or no dessert.”

She saw the corner of Dexter’s lips move upwards, almost like a knowing smirk, as if he knew she was putting up an act. He rolled his eyes before playing along, picking up his used shirts before throwing them in the dresser in a messy heap.

Well, at least this way he could keep the mess concealed.

A few seconds later, Kai copied his actions, gathering her toys.

“I don’t enjoy being the stern mom!” 479er called over her shoulder as she turned to leave them alone.

Before the door closed, she heard Dexter’s snarky remark: “Then why are you so good at it?”

* * *

The thing about Project Freelancer was how they tended to overcomplicate stuff. Take an ordinary mission, for example. You get the agents to the drop point, you stay low and wait, and you pick them up and go home.

But no. With Project Freelancer things have to be exploded, enemy ships would come after you, there’s always a bullet wound somewhere.

Things work out, normally. But you keep wondering if it’d be easier if people stuck to the plan.

And the plan had been fairly simple when it came to the kids. They were her responsibility. She was supposed to take care of them. They were not to interfere with the Project.

But suddenly, there was a contest about who could be the greatest uncle, who could get the most drawings, who could be the best babysitter.

It was strange, really.

479er supposed they were bored. Or maybe Freelancers spent so much time beating up bad people and playing tough that they somehow enjoy getting softened up by two kids. Well, even she had to admit it was a rather pleasant if weird experience.

And Maine, of all people, seemed to be their favorite.

“And you’re sure it’s not a problem?” 479er asked with an eyebrow raised. She watched as Kai kept pulling at his arm, dragging the giant in her direction. Only because he played along, of course. 479er was sure she could ram a tank into Agent Maine and he wouldn’t even move.

“Yes,” he said, briefly.

“Alright.” It was a strange sight indeed, to have a giant soldier be bossed around by kids. “Have fun.”

“We will!” Kai promised her with a grin. “He’s going to bench-press us.”

Behind her, Dexter was smiling as well, and he didn’t manage to hide his teeth before she spotted his grin. “The both of you?” she asked, truly curious.

“I bet a Snickers bar that he can’t do it,” Dexter said with a shrug, looking at Maine’s muscles with a doubtful glare.

479er watched as the corners of the Agent’s mouth moved slightly upwards. “Well, I’m rooting for you, Maine.”

“It’ll be a chocolate well spent!” Dexter called out as they followed the Freelancer down the hallway.

As it turned out, Maine let him keep the snack anyway.

* * *

York had a different type of approach. One that involved videogames and too big monitors. And, strangely, whenever they hang out with York, they weren’t in a rush to come back to their rooms in the evening.

“Their tv is in 3D!” Dexter exclaimed from his spot in the couch,

“That’s called a hologram,” she told him and stepped further inside the room. Kai had cuddled up next to her brother, watching him play against York.

“Where are the other D’s?” the girl asked her. “If this is the third?”

“That’s not how it works, Kai.”

The Freelancer seemed oblivious to the conversation, eyes trained on the screen as he played against the teenager.

479er tilted her head, watching them play. “And we’re sure these games are not actual tutorials for hacking a holographic lock?” she asked with a smirk. “Because I hear you might need them.”

York shook his head. “Low blow, pilot.”

Snorting with laughter, she dropped down on the couch, pushing Dexter aside and taking his controller. “Step aside, kid. I’m going to beat a Freelancer.”

* * *

Agent Illinois did things differently.

479er watched him tell stories to the kids without the need of books. She knew they were old Hawaiian tales, embedded in his memory from childhood.

The kids would listen with big eyes, always trying to deny the sentimentality, but they all knew the familiarity comforted them. She was very much aware of how they missed Hawaii at times. They just didn’t miss the life they’d been struggling with at the island.

He would tell them stories after dinner, leaving them exhausted and ready for bed as she finally shooed them to their room.

“How do you do it?” she asked Illinois later when the kids were asleep. “You’re like the ideal image of an Uncle and it doesn’t even seem like you try.”

His warm brown eyes settled on her and he sent her a small, teasing smile. “Are you envious?”

“You bet I am,” 479er replied immediately, smacking her lips. “I need tips.”

“I think it’s the beard,” he said while giving it a few scratches. “It gives you such uncle-energy.”

She returned his smile, shrugging. “I think I’m gonna skip that part. Besides, we all know it’s the mom-title I have to own up to.” With a sigh, she ran a hand through her short hair. “But we also know North is way better at being a mom.”

“I’ll drink to that,” he said, and for a moment she was sure he’d pull a flask out of his pocket to prove his point. But his soft expression eventually turned into a frown and he put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. They love you. Not that Dexter ever will say it out loud. Unless it’s a sarcastic comment, of course. Good kid.”

“I just… Urgh. I hate the title,” she admitted with a groan. “It’s such a… _mom-thing_ to have.”

“I think that’s the point,” he said gently.

With a sigh, she turned to him and said, “Yeah, it probably is.”

* * *

And then, eventually, it was Wash’s turn to handle the kids.

“Sure,” he said when she was about to rush out of the room to deal with the newest catastrophe. “I mean, how hard can it be?”

“If you get lucky, Kai might draw you cat pictures,” 479er told him, giving him a small salute before jogging down the hallway.

Wash rubbed the back of his neck, wondering if he could borrow York’s video games.

And then a small finger poked his shoulder.

Kaikaina was staring up at him with her big, brown eyes, widened to imitate the ones of a puppy. Wash gulped, hoping her request was an easy one.

Inhaling deeply, Kai opened her mouth and said, “I wanna learn how to throw knives.”

His mouth fell open while the girl’s expression remained unchanged.

“I… uuh…. No?” Wash said, shaking his head. “No. That’s a really bad idea.”

Kai smacked her lips. “Why?”

“I… You’re not old enough.”

“Dex is being taught how to drive and he isn’t old enough,” Kai said without missing a beat.

Behind her, he could see her big brother, watching them both with cautious eyes. He didn’t offer any help with the situation, but Wash had the feeling he would step in only to point out when Wash had made a mistake.

Eyes darting between the two kids, he stammered, “I…”

“It’s really unfair,” Kai said, sticking her lower lip out in a pout.

When it began to quiver, Wash looked at Dexter again, trying to get any help, but was only met with a smug face as the teenager crossed his arms. “Uhm…” Wash said, shifting the weight on his feet.

“I know you can do it,” Kai said eagerly, smiling. “Illinois told me so.”

“I…”

“We could just use butter knives.”

“I-“ Wash gulped, taking a step back. As he thought about 479er’s words, he got an idea to backtrack out of the situation. “I think we should all just draw cat pictures.”

Narrowing her eyes, Kai kept up the pouting face. “I think knives are more fun.”

Clasping his hands together, Wash tried his best to sound sincere as he was forced to beg, “Please? I really, really want to draw kitty pictures.”

His face fell when he heard a loud snort behind him, and he turned around to see C.T. walking by their open doorway. She stopped to send him a smug smile. “Sounds like you are having fun.”

“Ah, no,” he said, spinning around, just praying that she hadn’t somehow managed to record him. “That wasn’t what I was-“

“Sure thing,” she said, eyes glinting like a cat just having caught a mouse. “Always pictured you as an artist.”

Taking some steps forward, he tried his best to stop her. “You know that was not what I meant. Connie-“ The door closed right in front of his face, but he could still hear the muffled laughter from the other side of it. He could already imagine her on her way to spread the rumors.

To properly describe what he was feeling at that moment, Wash opened his mouth and cursed.

A second afterwards he realized his mistake as he spun around to see the two kids staring at him with widened eyes and shit-eating grins on their faces.

 “Oh no.”

* * *

The helmet cackled with the familiar notification that someone had opened the private radio channel. York avoided a fist to the face just as he heard Wash’ voice call out: “Hey, uhm, York?”

“I’m a little busy, buddy,” he said breathlessly, as he was forced to hold up his arms to block kicks from his sparring partner. A moment later, when he’d regained his footing, he lashed out with a kick of his own.

“You know how I promised 479er to help with the kids today?”

“Oh yeah. How’s that going?”

“ _Fine_ ,” Wash said, a voice just a bit too loud. “They’re playing with butter knives. Anyway-“

Carolina’s fist brushed against the edge of his helmet this time, and he stumbled backwards. “ _What_?”

“You know that no swearing policy North kept talking about? So… how mad do you think he’d be if someone taught the kid a word that weren’t supposed to know?”

“So what you’re asking me is from how far North can hit you with a bullet?”

He could hear the loud sigh from Wash’s end of the channel. “Okay, what about Niner? Do you think she’d be pissed-“

“After having kept her mouth clean for months and then you just ruin it?”

“Okay, one more question.”

“Better hurry it up, I’m getting my ass kicked,” York said, groaning when Carolina’s foot made contact with his shoulder once again.

“How do you unteach a child a word? Asking for a friend?”

Holding back a chuckle, York found the time to ask him, “Just what did you say?”

While York was doing his best to avoid getting decorated by colorful bruises, he could hear Wash sigh again before he muttered the word in a low whisper.

“Agent Washington, gosh darnit, do you kiss the Director’s butt with that mouth?”

Instead of answering his smug question, Wash groaned in defeat. “So what are my chances that I can put the blame on South?”

“I think North is the nice twin to have as your assassin,” York admitted thoughtfully, as he imagined all the different outcomes to Wash’ problem. But of course he might be exaggerating the whole thing. “Are you even sure they heard the word?”

 “She knows,” Wash said, sounding more exhausted than York felt.

“Well, you screwed up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy with- Lina, stop hitting me in the face.”

Back in his room, Wash pulled off his helmet with a sigh. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to clear his head, but when he removed his hand he found himself staring straight into Dexter’s smug face.

“I’m going to tell Niner,” he told him sternly. “Unless…”

Wash dared to ask: “Unless?”

* * *

Later that night, after the kids had been sent to bed, Wash joined the others at the cafeteria. His hand was holding a big mug of coffee as he sat down next to York.

“I’m being blackmailed by a fourteen-year old,” he admitted before filling himself with caffeine.

York just nodded, raising his own mug as he said, “My girlfriend kicked me in the nuts today.”

“Probably because you called her ‘your girlfriend’,” Wash pointed out dryly.

He almost had to spit out his drink when York shoved his elbow against his side in a teasing manner. “But at least I’m not the one being blackmailed by a teenager,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

Wash exhaled loudly, putting his mug back on the table. “I know 479er didn’t give birth to them, but they have her meanness.”

Raising a finger, York had to correct him, “Kai is a precious cinnamon bun and North will strangle you if you say otherwise.”

Wash raised his head just slightly, not enough to look less defeated, but enough to stare at 479er who was sitting in the other end of the hall by herself, drinking a can of cold coffee. “I should just come clean,” he said.

York followed his stare and nodded, “I’d go for Niner. At least she understands your struggle.”

The pilot’s eyes turned surprised when he sat down in the chair in front of her, still clutching his cup of coffee. “Hi,” he said as a brief greeting before his shoulders fell. “So, uhm… Something happened while you were-“

“The kids have dirt on you,” 479er cut him off, tone casual, before putting the can to her lips again.

Wash’ mouth fell open for a moment, and he frowned as he asked, “How do you know?”

The pilot shrugged. “I certainly didn’t fill Dexter’s drawer with chocolate bars. _You_ did that. Because he told you to.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Wash lowered his glare as the truth was revealed. Dexter’s demands had been easy enough to fulfill, but it hadn’t improved the situation. In fact, it’d probably just made it even more humiliating. “Yeah…”

“So,” 479er said, leaning back in her seat as she took another sip from her can. “What did you do?”

“I may… have said a word that North wouldn’t approve of.”

“Oh god, this is gonna be good.” She grinned, pupils dilating as she focused on him. “C’mon. Don’t let me die with anticipation.”

Head lowered, Wash finally leaned across the table to whisper the word.

Trying to hold back a snort of laughter, 479er shook her head in amusement. “That’s a good one. A bit exotic, actually. Hadn’t expected to hear it from you.”

Frowning in confusion, Wash pulled away, tilting his head as he asked, “So you’re not mad?”

“Why? The kids knew the word before you said it out loud.”

“ _What_?”

She shrugged before picking up her can again. “They had quite the potty-mouth when we found them. I’m just trying to keep them silent about it in public. I can’t erase their minds from what they’ve already been taught.”

“Then why did Dexter make a big deal out of it?”

Laughing, she sent him a smug look. “’cause the kids are too smart for their own good, and they can see an opportunity for manipulation a mile away. Sorry to say it, Wash, but you’re too gullible for your own good.”

“I’m not gullible,” he insisted, crossing his arms.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t trust everyone.”

For a moment he thought about that comment, a frown evident on his face. But then he shook his head, clearing his thoughts before he changed subject with the question: “Wait, so just where did you learn the word? I… had a teammate back in Basic who liked to show off his vocabulary.”

She didn’t reply immediately. Instead, 479er emptied her can, staying quiet as she drank. When she finally pulled it away from her lips, she said, “I… once lived on this little planet near the Orville satellite.”

His eyebrows shot up, obviously impressed. “That’s a long way from Earth. How did you end up there?”

“Well, my family didn’t really agree with the whole ‘fuck you I’ll be a pilot’ dream I had going as a teenager. So when I left, I wanted to get as far away as possible. This random guy offered me a cheap ride to this planet where he’d be dropping off some merch. Tiny planet, called Skade, in the middle of nowhere, really. But when the meteors came close the next year, that Shadow Belt, I think it was called, more trade happened.”

From seemingly out of nowhere, she pulled out a new can of coffee, taking a break as she opened it with her nail. Wash leaned back in his seat, knowing not to pressure her just yet.

After the first sip, she continued her tale. “I worked at this little garage. A lot of young folk from every corner of the universe ended up there, really. Trying to make their way through space. Anyway, the owner worked with whatever scraps he could get, and he had these very old ships he’d scavenged from a war zone somewhere. So, eventually he let me fly. Helped speed up transport. And when the raiders stopped by the first time, I learned how to fly _and_ shoot.”

Her eyes changed at that sentence, pride and confidence filling them as the memories hit her. She breathed in deeply, crossing her legs. “It was in the middle of the war. So eventually the UNSC had some scouts in our corner of the universe, ready to sign up anyone willing to test their luck as a soldier. A lot of us joined. I insisted to be a pilot, of course. And, naturally, they wouldn’t pass up on a bright opportunity like me. I had some jobs here and there until I gained enough attention to be contacted by Project Freelancer.”

“That’s… quite the story,” Wash said when she was done, having listened closely to every word.

“I’ve been in a lot of places, Wash. I know a lot of exotic words.” 479er grinned, tilting her head before saying, “So. I told you my story. How did you end up here?”

Immediately, the question caused a reaction. Wash cringed, moving back in his seat. “Well, same as you. Great War. I was… going to be court-martialed, actually, when I got the offer to join the program.”

She widened her eyes, obviously hearing this for the first time. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Wash said, and the dark tone in his voice made it clear that he didn’t want to discuss it further.

479er sensed this and didn’t press the subject any further. “Seems like we have a lot of messed up people in this place,” she said, smiling as she clanked her can against his half-filled cup. “No idea how that could ever go wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong about being a mess,” he said as he drank his last drop of coffee. “No one’s perfect.”

“Hmm,” the pilot said quietly, thinking about what he’d just said.

* * *

“Up.”

Dexter groaned when he felt someone shake his shoulder and he buried his face against his pillow, trying to sink back into sleep. “Five more minutes,” he muttered, keeping his eyes closed.

He could hear 479er go the Kai’s bed, waking her up as well.

“We’re going to bake cake,” she announced, voice oddly loud and cheerful.

In a flash, Dexter was sitting upright. “I’m awake,” he said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“I thought so,” 479er said, smiling. “C’mon.”

In their pajamas, they walked silently down the quiet hallways. Dexter blinked, unsure of why they were so alone, until he realized it wasn’t morning – it was the middle of the night. No one else, except a few guards on patrol, was awake.

But Dexter wasn’t going to complain if cake was involved.

479er led them into the cafeteria, and now, for the first time, behind the counter into the kitchen itself. Without saying a word, she began to pull different ingredients from the shelves.

“Vanilla!” Kai yelled happily, quickly grabbing a bowl to help.

Dexter raised an eyebrow in wonder before stepping into the scene himself.

An hour later, they were sitting around the oven, pajamas covered in floor with ingredients spilling all over the floor. 479er tried not to feel small when she realized Dexter was easily at her eye-level, already outgrowing her. That could be a problem in the future.

“We’re making a mess,” Kai said with a big grin on her face. Dexter had to smile at the sight, and his happy expression first vanished when he was forced to yawn.

479er nodded, sitting down next to them as they waited for their treat together. “We sure are.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The curse word was so bad, I leave it to your imagination to come up with it, just to shield your innocent souls.
> 
> Also, please look at Creatrix' drawing with me and scream. I love this little family so much.
> 
> Enjoy the fluff.  
> It won't last.

**Author's Note:**

> As always: English is not my native language so I apologize for the mistakes I didn't catch.  
> You can find us as riathedreamer and creatrixanimi on tumblr!


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